For well over a decade the Caymanian Bar Association (CBA) has worked with successive Governments to produce a much needed modernized law governing the legal profession. We have, at last, the Legal Practitioners Bill, 2016 (“LP Bill“) before the Legislative Assembly that addresses the need for the profession to succeed in a highly competitive global market as well as the need to promote Caymanian advancement within the profession.
In the past there has been much ill-informed debate, sometimes including those who neither read nor understood what was proposed. We hope for an informed debate on the LP Bill. The CBA has addressed queries and concerns raised by members and collaborated with the Cayman Islands Law Society (CILS) to submit committee stage amendments to the LP Bill.
The CBA presentation on the LP Bill and a Q&A on the LP Bill are available on the CBA website www.caymanbar.org.ky.
In a survey of CBA members in good standing (from 25 law firms, 2 trust companies and solo practitioners), over 77% of those voting support the LP Bill and, on that basis, the CBA Council has formally resolved to support the LP Bill.
Abraham Thoppil, the CBA President noted “There must be a balance between protectionism and the need to compete globally. Individuals can honestly differ as to where the balance lies but the status-quo is much worse – since the lack of a modern law has an adverse effect on Caymanians within the profession.”