LAWYERS working with the Attorney-General Chamber will now be able to attend court proceedings smart and professional following the handover of new legal attires yesterday.
The National Government through the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs (MJLA) funded these critical items for the first time following years of relying on donor support.
During the handover ceremony, the Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Clezy Rore said the Ministry is happy to support the Attorney-General’s Chambers in obtaining this set of court attires because the office plays an important role, especially the Attorney-General being the first law officer of the Government.
“These court attires are a symbol of your profession as lawyers and I can tell the importance this attire plays in your profession, especially the high regard that lawyers hold towards each other when wearing these attires,” Minister Rore said.
Minister Rore believed that new attire would raise the morale of lawyers in the Litigation and Advisory Division of the Attorney-General’s chambers who frequent the courts to protect the interest of the Crown.
The procurement of these set of court attires now put an end to the problem of lawyers having to share court attires when attending to court matters.
“I know it is quiet inconvenient when there are multiple court hearings or trials happening at the same time and lawyers have to be in the courtrooms.
“It looks bad on us when we have to wait on other lawyers to finish their hearings in order to put on the court attire, or borrow from other legal practitioners,” Rore added.
In receiving the Court Attire, the Attorney-General thanked the Government through the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs and stated that these Court Attires are “akin to an armor that Soldiers put on before going into battle”.
The last time the Attorney-General Chambers received support to purchase Court Attire was around 2009 with the assistance of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.
“Today, I am very proud to receive these much-needed Court Attire that is fully procured by the Solomon Islands Government,” Mr Muria added.
“I convey my appreciation to the Ministry for recognising our need for these items, which will make our lawyers feel professional and comfortable when attending court proceedings,” he said.
Muria said the problem of sharing legal attire is not only unprofessional but creates a lot of inconvenience to lawyers when they carryout their duties at the courts.
The Court Attire includes Wigs, Jarbot, Bar Jacket and Gowns for each lawyer in the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Paul Mae said the procurement of these court attire is part of the support the Ministry continues to give to its agencies to enable its lawyers are properly dressed when performing their legal duties.
He cautioned lawyers that the Court Attires are not cheap and it is important that they look after them properly for its intended purpose.
Minister Clezy Rore also made a brief tour of the Attorney General’s Office where he was introduced to staff prior to the handing over ceremony.
