Influx of quack lawyers worries LSK and courts

From a distance, one can assume they are qualified lawyers capable of helping them secure justice in the courts.

They are normally in court rooms, smartly dressed, some carrying case files and approach vulnerable clients to offer them legal counsel after their relatives are charged in court.

Investigations by the Saturday Standard have established that the quack lawyers prey on victims at the Kisumu law courts.

Some of them disappear after pocketing the initial fees for opening a file for clients.

In September, a man accused of impersonating a lawyer and swindling unsuspecting clients of thousands of shillings was charged in court.

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) directed members not to represent the suspect.

In the suit, the suspect allegedly used the name of a law firm and swindled two clients of Sh1 million.

Tarnishing the name

The quack lawyer pretended that he was in a position to pursue the victims cases at the Kisumu Law Courts.

A lawyer who sought anonymity told Saturday Standard that some of the quack lawyers are dropouts from the Kenya School of Law.

“They are always within the court corridors. The problem we have with them is that they are tarnishing the name of lawyers who took an oath to represent clients with zeal,” said the advocate.

The advocate noted that the quacks always claim that they work for law firms, most of them are non-existent.

On Thursday last week, the Judiciary raised the alarm over the issue and warned the public not to be duped by quack lawyers.

This was after the business community raised complaints over cases of quack lawyers during the Court Users Committee forum.

Participants at the forum urged the public to verify the list of lawyers from the LSK Website.

Justice Fred Ochieng said they were working with the police to bring to book the quack lawyers conning unsuspecting clients in Kisumu.

“There is a notorious one in Kisumu who recently disappeared but we sent word to the police who are searching for him,” he said.

He urged the public to volunteer information about quack lawyers to relevant authorities.

“Whenever you get any information you should inform us,” he said.

Justice Ochieng added that every lawyer was obliged by law to have a physical office, letter and an official telephone number.