Kakata, Margibi County – The door to the first legal clinic was opened in old displaced camp community in Medina, Kakata, Margibi County on Friday, August 28, 2017 amid applause from the group of citizens’ presence at the occasion.
Report by Kennedy L. Yangian – [email protected]
The legal clinic is the second establishment by the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) aimed at providing free legal services for party litigants who cannot afford legal fees.
Margibi County is the second county to benefit from this pilot project initiated by the Liberia National Bar Association with the help from the United States Agency of International Development (USAID) Legal Professional Development and Anti- Corruption Program in Liberia (LPAC) as the first is been opened at the Law Library on Ashmun Street in Montserrado County.
Cllr. Joyce Reeves Woods, the Chairperson of the LNBA Legal Committee stated that the LNBA established the first legal clinic in Montserrado County and moved up to establishing another one in Margibi County.
She stated that after Margibi County the LNBA legal clinic committee looks forward to establishing another legal aid clinic in Bong County and onward to Grand Bassa County.
Cllr. Woods called on Margibi County citizens that the legal aid Clinic has come close to their door steps and asked that they take advantage.
“The legal aid clinic is here to help you resolve your legal issues, we are trying to help you to stop fighting with each other,” said Cllr. Woods who says that the pilot project started in on May 1, 2017 through the sponsor of USAID.
LNBA President Cllr. Moses Paegar prior to the opening of the legal clinic stated that the two legal clinics to be established in the various counties have been done through the innovation of the LNBA leadership and repeated calls for citizens of the county to take advantage of the legal clinic.
“People of Margibi County come now and take advantage of this legal clinic and not see it as a white elephant,” said Cllr Paegar who praised the people of the United States for the initiative aimed at building up human capacity.
USAID Party head Gerald Meyerman asked the media to assist the LNBA in disseminating information about the legal clinic which is paramount for the citizens of Liberia as the law provides everyone is equal before the law.
“Let me congratulate the LNBA for this board step in initiating the legal aid clinic. Please take advantage of this legal clinic as it is not easy to have lawyers to work on a pro bono basis,” said USAID party head.
Kakata Magistrate Victoria Duncan also paid homage to the LNBA leadership but stated that in Margibi County there are four magisterial courts with only one public defender to cater to indigent defendants.
Judge Sikajipo Wolloh the assigned judge of the 13th Judicial Circuit Court who cut the ribbon to open the court stated that there 45 criminal cases on the docket of the court which he is trying to have adjudicated and called on the LNBA to see the need to establish the legal aid clinic in other counties like Nimba where there are a lot of indigent defendants.
According to the LNBA, there will be 16 pro bono lawyers to manage the Margibi County Legal Aid Clinic.