Monrovia – The Dean of the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, Cllr. Negbalee Warner and his partners have opened their law firm building to the public.
The law firm under the name ‘Heritage Partners and Associates’ (HPA) began with renting several buildings before coming in to ownership of their own building.
The program brought together staff and several invited guests, including members of the Liberia National Bar Association and the members of the public.
Speaking at the dedication ceremony of the firm, Cllr. Warner said the firm started from a 3 office space but had to move because the space was small.
He disclosed that f our members of the firm have Masters’ degrees and could not be moving from one rented building to another.
Currently the firm has less than 12 lawyers naming Cllr. Abraham Sillah, Mark Marvey and Atty. Yafar Baikpeh, Atty. Lucia D. S Gbala.
“We are investing in more lawyers and not the firm, we started with three clients and we haven’t lost a client, so we are happy to open our office,” said Cllr. Warner.
“God who brought us this far wouldn’t let us down and this is just the beginning because we are planning to have a law firm of 30-40 lawyers.”
He disclosed that the construction of the building was done through a loan received from International Bank (IB).
Though there was no exact amount attach to the building construction, Cllr. Warner said US$200,000 was taken as loan from the bank.
There were several speeches given by clients and associates including remarks from representatives of the IB, Arcelor Mittal, Roberts International Airport, Liberia National Bar Association and Liberia Telecommunication Authority head Angelique Weeks.
Former Justice Minister Cllr. Benedict Sannoh said: “We lawyers have the duty to make the law respectable, how we organize our practice and law is how we will be respected.”
He continued: “Life is more than money so we have to build our capacity to compare us with lawyers in other countries since our courts are only open to lawyers from Liberia.”
Cllr. Sannoh urged the young lawyers to stay with Cllr. Warner to grow the firm.
Cllr. William Gbaintor expressed explicit confidence in Cllr. Warner, as he (Gbaintor) disclosed that he spotted Cllr. Warner at the law school.
“For his age, he has done something breaking, we thank God for his blessing upon this young lawyer, “Cllr. Gongloe.
He continued: “Human relationship is what has caused him to reach this stage, we pray for the success of the venture.”
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Cllr. Frederick Cherue recounted the struggles he and Cllr. Warner went through during their youth days.
“Lawyers are not enemies, so be tolerant with your clients and colleagues because lawyers aren’t perfect.”