Go the Extra mile, CJ Urges Lawyers
Go the extra mile for people who seek your help!
That’s the call from Chief Justice Anthony Gates when he was addressing lawyers yesterday at the Legal Aid Commission’s 7th Annual National Staff Workshop.
The workshop is currently underway at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa at Natadola.
Chief Justice Gates said: “They already made a big effort to come down today so you’ve somehow got to solve their problem today. You’ve got think, always of the other person. Put yourself in their shoes, what is their problem because our business is to try to solve their problem.”
Chief Justice Gates also called on all lawyers to always have the best interest of their clients.
“Your role is to provide legal aid to those who cannot afford to pay for the services of legal practitioners. Acting in honesty, fairness and integrity are essential to that task. You are administering taxpayers’ money. Your guidelines are to be administered impartially,” he said.
“In this role, the impartiality of a judge should be your guiding star. Some people think that only judges should be impartial and fair and to avoid favouritism but in many areas of our lives we are expected to be impartial and to treat people equally.
“Customer service is very important. You’re the same as the people in the hotel front desk who deal with all the problems and issues that arise. There’s no good telling someone who has just gotten off a bus from Naitasiri to come back tomorrow. That person can’t come back tomorrow. They have other things to do, they may not have the money to keep coming back.”
He also admonished the gathering to be impartial in their dealings.
“The Commission is to be free of politics. This is especially so in 2018 because we know we are in the election year. Of course we need to keep politics out of the courts and the same applies to the grant of legal aid cases. Funding will be based on cases and not for political points scoring. Some cases will have political angles that can at times be unavoidable,” he said.
“Politics is not for the office. You must demonstrate to the client that you have no axe to grind, you’re there to assess their applications and to be part of the team that takes their case to court. Same goes for race, religion, gender, the disabled, we should welcome them and attend to their different needs.”
The two-day event ends today with the Attorney-General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, closing the workshop.
Edited by Naisa Koroi
Feedback: lusiana.banuve@fijisun.com.fj
