By Barbara Whittle
Meetings for young lawyers interested in participating in the Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) Young Lawyers forum will be held in main cities throughout the country in August and September 2012 (see p 17). At these meetings young practitioners will nominate their representatives for a meeting at national level with a view to establishing and launching the LSSA Young Lawyers forum before the end of this year.
Representatives from the nine provinces, together with representatives of the LSSA leadership, will meet during October 2012 to finalise the constitution, structural model and initial programme of action for the forum, which will be aligned to the LSSA and its constituents and will support their objectives.
The council of the LSSA supported the establishment of a forum for young lawyers at its meeting at the end of May. This was after preliminary meetings with young practitioners in various cities earlier this year revealed great enthusiasm among younger members of the profession for a forum that will provide a platform for them to consult and make input into discussions of the profession, raise concerns, promote leadership and professional development, as well as create succession in the structures of the profession.
The national meeting in October will be followed by regional meetings to implement decisions taken at national level and to establish provincial initiatives before the end of the year.
It is envisaged that the forum will bring together practitioners under the age of 35 who are in the process of qualifying or have qualified as legal practitioners in terms of the Attorneys Act 53 of 1979 or the Admission of Advocates Act 74 of 1964.
To register your interest in participating in the Young Lawyers forum or to attend one of the regional meetings –
Compiled by Barbara Whittle, communication manager, Law Society of South Africa, barbara@lssa.org.za
This article was first published in De Rebus in 2012 (July) DR 16.
