Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. Senior lawyer, Yada Williams has issued a strong public appeal for an end to the long-running rivalry between the Lawyers’ Society of Sierra Leone and the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA), warning that the division is eroding the integrity of the country’s legal profession.
Williams, on X, described the current situation where lawyers’ affiliations and even attendance at professional or social events are often dictated by political lines as “untenable and damaging.” He cautioned that the growing tendency for the two bodies to be viewed through political lenses risks turning them into “mouthpieces or surrogates for political parties,” a development he says threatens the independence of the Bar.
The feud between the Lawyers’ Society and the SLBA has been one of the most entrenched and polarising issues within the legal community, with both bodies accused at different times of being aligned with competing political interests.
In his latest intervention, Williams called for a renewed commitment to rebuilding a unified and non-partisan Bar. He proposed that the SLBA adopt a new constitution that would bar individuals who actively participate in politics, hold government office, or carry political party cards from serving in executive positions.
According to Williams, these reforms are crucial “first steps toward restoring the unity, independence, and respectability of the Sierra Leone Bar.”
He further urged the Attorney-General to take the lead in steering the reconciliation process, arguing that the moment presents a critical opportunity to heal longstanding divisions and reestablish the Bar as a cohesive national institution.
Whether the intervention by one of the country’s most prominent legal minds will be enough to break the deadlock remains uncertain, but Williams’ call has reignited debate around the future of the legal profession’s unity and credibility in Sierra Leone.
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