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The President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association, Tuma Adama Gento Kamara, Esq., has declared that the group calling itself the “Lawyers Society” is not a legally constituted body, stating that it lacks registration and therefore has no legal standing.
Speaking on AYV’s Wake Up Sierra Leone, Gento Kamara explained that while individuals are free to form associations, membership of the legal profession alone does not automatically confer legal status on any group unless it is formally registered.
She disclosed that following the recently contested Bar Association elections, she made efforts to reconcile with aggrieved lawyers but described those attempts as unsuccessful. According to her, members of the Lawyers Society deliberately targeted female colleagues who were assigned to deliver invitations to various law firms for the Bar Association’s dinner and dance event.
Gento Kamara said she extended an olive branch after the election by inviting the aggrieved lawyers to the Bar Association dinner. She further revealed that she attempted to convene a reconciliation meeting through former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohamed Lamin Tarawally, but said the initiative did not yield productive outcomes.
Responding to questions on whether the Bar Association has been effective in holding government to account, Gento Kamara defended the association’s record, stating that it consistently engages with all arms of government in the execution of its mandate. However, she acknowledged public expectations for a more visible and sustained media presence.
“The Bar Association has been effective in our duties through engaging with all the arms of government,” she said, adding that some members of the public expect the association to be “on air all the time,” even in instances where cooperation with government institutions is ongoing.
She also addressed concerns surrounding her political affiliation, confirming that she is a fully registered member of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). Gento Kamara insisted that her political membership does not compromise her professional responsibilities as a legal practitioner or her role as President of the Bar Association.
“I am a fully registered member of the Sierra Leone People’s Party, but that should not deprive me of my responsibilities as a legal practitioner, nor prevent me from performing my duties as President of the Bar Association,” she stated.
Tensions within the legal community have intensified since the Bar Association elections, with some lawyers forming alternative groupings and publicly challenging the association’s leadership. The Bar Association maintains that only duly registered bodies can claim legal status or officially represent the legal profession.
