The President of the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA), Cllr. Sylvester D. Rennie, has disclosed that the National Assembly of the LNBA begins today, Friday, March 25, 2022 and ends on Saturday, March 26, 2022, and will take place at the Ministerial Complex, Congo Town.
President Rennie stated that the LNBA holds its annual National Assembly in March of every year, and that the event brings together all practitioners of the legal profession. According to him, this year’s General Assembly is being held under theme, “The Role of the LNBA in Strengthening the Rule of Law in Liberia”.
Cllr. Rennie made the disclosure to the Hot Pepper on Thursday, March 24, 2022, in an exclusive interview with the paper at his Front Street office.
Also speaking to the Hot Pepper, the Secretary General of the Bar, Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah, informed the paper that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, His Honor Francis Korkpor, will serve as keynote speaker for the event.
According to Cllr. Varmah, among activities embedded in the event is the Continuing Legal Education (CLE), which is intended to build the capacity of members of the Bar. In fulfilling that segment of the event, he said the leadership of the LNBA has invited some of their colleagues to present on a number of topics, encouraging all lawyers to take part in these presentations as they are a part of activities that account for ten (10) credits at the end of the year in order to put them in good standing for the next year.
He disclosed that, for the CLE session, the former Minister of Justice, Cllr. Benedict F. Sannoh, will present on the topic, “Trial Advocacy and Trial Techniques (Zealous Advocacy and Its Limits)”, noting that the session will be moderated by Cllr. Augustine C. Faryiah. He stated that the former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Cllr. Kabineh M. Ja’neh, will also present on the topic, “Enforcement of Mandates, Judgments: Challenges, Gaps and Effects”, and the session will be moderated by His Honor Chan Chan Paegar. He added that the Dean of the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, Cllr. T. Negbalee Warner, will present on the topic, “The Importance of Legal Writing in the Legal Profession”, and the session will be moderated by Cllr. J. Johnny Momoh.
The outspoken LNBA Secretary General noted that the President of the Bar will also be submitting his report, as enshrined in the LNBA constitution, the bring members of the bar up to date with their activities and projects.
He disclosed that complementary statements will be made by some of their partners, including the US Ambassador and Carter Center, as well as their subsets: Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) and Association of Trial Judges. He said the Legislative Caucus Chairman and the superintendent of Montserrado County will be making statements.
Cllr. Varmah said Saturday will begin with a parade—with members of the bar dressed in their t-shirts—onward to the Ministerial Complex, where the indoor program will be held. He noted that this year’s National Assembly will be climaxed with a football match between the bar and the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) at the BTC Barracks.