ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, has called for decisive action against individuals who are not legally qualified but continue to perform legal functions, warning that their actions are causing serious harm to unsuspecting members of the public.
Speaking this week on his programme ‘Issues in the News,’ Nandlall said there is an urgent need to address the growing problem of “touts” and unqualified persons operating within the legal space, including justices of the peace and commissioners of oaths who overstep their lawful roles.
“We have to take actions against touts, people who are touting, persons who are not qualified as lawyers but are performing legal functions, including justices of the peace and commissioners of oath to affidavits,” the Attorney General said.
He stressed that the move is not intended to deprive anyone of their livelihood, but rather to protect citizens from serious legal and financial consequences arising from improper and unlawful practices.
“The intent is not to deny anyone of an income. It’s not it,” Nandlall stated.
According to the AG, individuals who are not trained or qualified in law but who purport to offer legal advice or handle legal documentation often leave their clients in devastating situations. He explained that these persons routinely prepare and submit legal documents without the requisite knowledge of the law, resulting in grave errors.
He explained that unqualified individuals who purport to offer legal advice or handle legal documents, despite lacking the necessary training, often leave people’s lives in utter misery and confusion.
Nandlall warned that the consequences of such actions are far-reaching, noting that many citizens have lost property and substantial sums of money due to legal work being improperly done.
“They cause those people to lose their properties, lose millions of dollars because work is not done in accordance with law,” the Attorney-General said.
He added that allowing such practices to continue undermines the integrity of the legal system and exposes vulnerable citizens to exploitation under false pretenses.
“We cannot continue in a society that allows such fraudulent false pretenses to take place,” Nandlall asserted.
Touting—where individuals solicit clients for lawyers in or around court—is illegal under the Legal Practitioners Act, which sets out penalties including fines and imprisonment for offenders. The Act also allows the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Judicature to declare a person a tout, restrict their access to court precincts, and provides a process for appeal.
Touts have been spotted near the main entrance of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and around the Maraj Building—especially along the King Street side, near the rear of the High Court in Demerara—actively soliciting clients.
