AG, GBA meet to advance work to hold legal practitioners accountable

Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall on Tuesday met with the newly elected Executive Council of the Guyana Bar Association (GBA) as work advances on amending the Legal Practitioners Act to hold members of the profession more accountable. According to a statement from the AG Chambers, the two sides “discussed the important reforms which both parties agree must take place in relation to the Legal Practitioners Act in order to make the legal profession more accountable, including strengthening disciplinary measures, as well as institutional continuous educational programmes so that the legal profession can continue to maintain high professional standards.”

Expanding on the engagement during his programme “Issues in the News” on Tuesday evening, Nandlall emphasised that these reforms are necessary in wake of mounting complaints from members of the public about the conduct of legal practitioners. “We discussed, in particular, a review of the disciplinary mechanism and ways by which, by legislation, we can make the profession more responsible and accountable. I highlighted my experiences; whenever I go out in the public domain, I am confronted with complaints about lawyers’ conduct, and we need to have a disciplinary mechanism that works and that people have confidence in,” the AG posited. He added that while the profession is a self-regulatory one, the necessary checks and balances must be in place. “Once you are self-regulatory, then you have the responsibility of ensuring that your self-regulatory status has checks and balance mechanisms that can withstand independent scrutiny and that can effectively sanction wrongs when they occur, obviously embracing principles and processes of natural justice and due process,” he noted. Earlier this year, the then President of the GBA Kamal Ramkarran, had bemoaned the fact that no lawyer has been suspended or removed from practice in more than 25 years, despite concerns within the profession. He had also called for stronger accountability mechanisms within the legal profession to address persistent delays in the justice system. In December 2025, President Dr Irfaan Ali had announced the Government’s intention to introduce legislation to hold not just lawyers but judges and Magistrates more accountable.
These legislative changes, he had said, “will include robust disciplinary processes to ensure timely delivery of decisions in compliance with existing legislation as well as the maintenance of high ethical and professional standards.”
Meanwhile, during the meeting between Nandlall and the Bar Association, they also discussed the Government’s legislative agenda, including bills that will be tabled later this year. They also discussed the need for closer collaboration with the Judiciary, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) on addressing matters in relation to the administration of criminal justice.
The AG also appealed to the Bar Council members to encourage members of the legal profession to be more proactive in recommending legal reforms and to utilise the services of the Guyana Law Reform Commission (GLRC). At the conclusion of the meeting, the two sides agreed to meet more frequently at mutually convenient intervals. The AG’s delegation during the meeting included Prithima Kisson, State Solicitor, Public Trustee and Official Receiver and Ayana Fable, Senior Parliamentary Counsel. The Bar Association was represented by newly elected President Arud Gossai and members Robin Stoby SC, Mr Teni Housty, Samuel Glasgow, Chevy Devonish and Mohanie Anganoo.