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'Whose interest are we serving with Legal Prof. Act amendments?' – Hon Julian Fraser RA
The Third District Representative was speaking yesterday January 26, 2016 during the continuation of the Sixth Sitting of the First Session of the Third House of Assembly, as the debate on the Legal Profession Act got underway.
“Are we taking into consideration the two tiers of legal representation we have in this country? One is international and the other is local. Whose interest is this serving?” Hon Fraser asked.
He said what is being done in the amendment is giving a pardon to practitioners from paying a fee. “The question I ask is why? This is revenue that we are just giving up.”
Honourable Fraser posed the question whether the amendments are industry driven or interest driven.
He said the Act seems to be watering down the duties and responsibilities of the recently constituted Legal Council, limiting their ability to properly execute their functions and duties by adding some amendments.
“Madam Speaker we have to be careful not to erode the confidence that one may have in our laws. One way of [eroding that confidence] is by making frequent amendments to our laws, especially when those amendments are driven by interests,” he added.
Honourable Fraser insisted that the amendments that were proposed were interest driven and hoped to address them during the committee stage of the deliberations.
“Is it that we are now bending to every whim and fancy of anyone who cries and complains about the legislation that we have before us before the Council has been given the opportunity to get involved in the said legislation?” he asked.
Certain provisions could hurt us – Hon Walwyn
However, Minister for Education and Culture Honourable Myron V. Walwyn speaking on the Bill said that he also had concerns about it, even though he acknowledged the need for amendments to be made to legislation in order to keep the territory on the “cutting edge” of what is happening globally.
“If the provisions become too onerous you end up hurting the profession and you end up hurting the financial services in our country,” the Minister said.
He questioned the practicality of requiring non-Virgin Islands lawyers to be resident in the VI for one year before being able to practice VI law. He said that if enforced this would eliminate a host of lawyers who work in Hong Kong for instance selling VI companies.
The Minister feels that this provision would lead to a boycott of the territory in terms of aspects of financial services that may be directed elsewhere.
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22 Responses to “'Whose interest are we serving with Legal Prof. Act amendments?' – Hon Julian Fraser RA”
Please do not listen to M**** with his self serving interest
There's no use bringing politics in this and talking about interests. Fraser and Fahie always trying to dumb everything down and make it about locals vs expats. Remove expats and financial services goes with it, that's a fact. Why we always acting stupid when it comes to things of such great importance to the Territory? What interests is Fraser talking about really? We are trying to save our industry, the very thing that gives us 60cents of every dollar we spend every year. For &*%$# sake man.
So jumping up and sounding like an idiot means it's in the best interests of the Territory? There are some issues that don't need all the political grand standing. Who would I listen to when it comes to the legal professions act, Myron a qualified Lawyer or Fraser a qualified @$$?
and the BVI govt. is about to default.
plant some plantains and payayas and any thing else you think of, cuz, the bubble has burst.
If you wait for it, you may be to late. Be awake.
Money games, those lawyers making big bucks selling BVI companies and
live in some place other than the BVI?
So they make money off our name, but do not spend a dollar here> WTH??
Sounds like a scam to me.
BVI lawyers live in the BVI, period and amen.
The rest is a lie. Or Scam