New 'home' for advocates

"You provide a service to the public, and it&#039;s a lot of money to hire a lawyer. The least we can do is to deliver the best service at the best possible rate."This is according to advocate Marius Boonzaier, who was elected chairman of the newly established Namibian Bar Association on 29 January."We are very excited. It&#039;s not every day that something like this happens," he said. Boonzaier&#039;s colleague and friend, advocate Abraham (Apie) Small, has been appointed as the secretary and treasurer, and advocate Herman Steyn wrote the association&#039;s constitution."I started the constitution with a clean slate. I saw an opportunity for a new beginning," Steyn explained. One of the constitution&#039;s provisions stipulates that the association should be a home for its members, where they can share knowledge, skills, information and experiences with each other. "People should feel comfortable and at home here."Modern and flexibleThe Namibian Bar Association&#039;s constitution allows its members to practice from any location. "The constitution has been modernised. It is very flexible and provides for different segments of society to practice because not everyone can necessarily afford chambers in the beginning," Boonzaier explained.According to him, it can also be ideal in cases where parents would like to practice from home or retired lawyers no longer want to incur the expenses of having full-time chambers (as lawyers and judges prefer to call their offices)."An individual can practice from home and can still be a member of our association. The person still has access to a boardroom and research software. The facilities are here – for a fraction of the cost," Boonzaier explained."It&#039;s not because we are angry; our needs are simply not being met, especially concerning chambers," said Steyn. Referrals Boonzaier also emphasised that the association does not compete with attorneys."We are still a referral profession. A member of the public cannot just come to us; they still need a referral from an attorney. It&#039;s like the difference between a general practitioner and a specialist. You can&#039;t go to the specialist without a referral," he explained.According to Boonzaier, there were also other needs, aside from the issues regarding chambers, that the association identified and took into account to "keep up with life.""Our constitution is drafted so that a person who has been a lawyer for 20 years automatically qualifies to become a senior lawyer."Steyn added that in such cases, the lawyer still has to apply for it.TransparencyAnother provision in the association&#039;s constitution – which differs from many others around the world – is that an individual may not be a member of the association if they are a member of a secret organisation."It&#039;s about objectivity. If you are representing a client, you should be able to lie in the trench with that person, walk a path together, and not be influenced by external factors," said Boonzaier."Openness and transparency are important to us," affirmed Steyn.– kristien@republikein.com.na

New 'home' for advocates

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Namibian Sun 2026-05-06

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New 'home' for advocates

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Namibian Sun 2026-05-06

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