The other day I asked a friend in the legal profession why independent law firms in SA don’t offer their services to the government to pursue the illicit monies identified in the Zondo commission reports under the Contingency Fees Act of 1997.
His response was that his firm was not prepared for the reputational damage the law firms could attract when the targets of their investigations denigrate them.
I thought lawyers were supposed to prosecute or defend their clients irrespective of the reputational damage they might attract? I smell a rat here.
Perhaps a reader can educate me on this matter as the quantum of contingency fees is surely enough to attract at least some lawyers.
Andy Clay
Via email
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