He said the regulation of prosecutors and corporate lawyers had to be considered. Since the first draft of the bill made its appearance in 1999, there has been strong opposition from the legal profession. The most contentious issue has been the threat it allegedly poses to the independence of lawyers and ultimately the judiciary. The international legal community has voiced its objection to the bill, particularly on the structure of the Legal Practice Council, which will regulate the profession. The bill proposes that the council be made up of a majority of government appointees and officials.
Lawyers are a minority.
The Bar Council prepared a draft bill which was presented to Maduna at the meeting. The draft proposes that a majority of lawyers should sit on the council and that in-house corporate lawyers should be excluded as they do not offer services to the public. The legal profession has opposed attempts over the years to gain full professional standing for corporate lawyers.