LPC planning to strike at least 11 lawyers & legal firms from practitioners' roll in Q1
Among the names of those facing the risk of losing their law licence is Barnabus Xulu, who has represented former President Jacob Zuma and some members of the Zulu royal family.
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JOHANNESBURG - Some of the country's famous legal minds are at risk of losing their licences and ability to practice law.
The Legal Practice Council (LPC) recently announced that it plans to strike at least eleven lawyers and legal firms from the practitioners' roll in the first quarter.
The council is a statutory body with the dual purpose of regulating the legal profession and protecting members of the public from misconduct by legal practitioners.
Among the names of those facing the risk of losing their law licence is Barnabus Xulu, who has represented former President Jacob Zuma and some members of the Zulu royal family.
The LPC is also investigating advocate Jeremy Gauntlet for bringing the profession into disrepute following sexual abuse claims against him.
Former public protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, also faces a fight to keep her advocate title after the LPC announced it wants her struck from the roll of advocates.
LPC spokesperson, Kabelo Letebele: "On average, the LPC is dealing with over 1,000 complaints each month and in the last two years alone, the LPC has dealt with at least 14,000 complaints each year. As a result, the LPC has succeeded in obtaining suspensions and strike-offs for up to 150 legal practitioners for the year 2024 alone."
The LPC said that affected legal practitioners would have an opportunity to appeal any sanctions imposed against them.