OPINION: Lawyers need to play vital role in society

Seeing the lawyers status of immense importance in our country today, with having  a colossal strength of  practicing lawyers all over India. Keeping in view that the prosperity of the country, the integrity of its politics, the stability of its society, the development of its economy, the solidarity of its ethnic groups, the flourishing of its culture and the contentment and well being of its people, all hind upon soundness of legal system. Being a practicing criminal lawyer fell it is very essential for the legal practitioners, to have obligation to the society and also need to play significant role as a vital cog in creation and maintenance of societies in which the rule of law, democratic value and human right are observed and enjoy.

Rather lawyers need to   be duty bound to spread legal awareness in general public about public causes relating to social welfare to apprise the commons of their duty towards the city and fellowmen, and side by to promote suitable reforms and necessary improvement in the legal working, this way they can be perceived by the public, and can also reinforce a positive image of the legal fraternity.   

Therefore, it is essential that lawyers adhere to the highest standards of conduct, and cases of lawyers misappropriating their clients' moneys or preferring their interests or those of other parties over the interests of their clients cannot be condoned. To put it bluntly, such conduct is an abuse of the trust placed in the lawyer. The canons of ethics should be followed as per the rules under the various sections of the Advocates Act 1961.

So as Lawyers we need to practice under a system of law and have an opportunity to alleviate rather than exacerbate the ruin and misfortune of fellow men and also bear significant responsibility for ensuring that public faith in the legal system is earned and maintained in our city by way of spreading the message within commons to be law abiding citizens by not violating the rules within the jurisdiction of the city. 

Today, litigants entrust their problems, their reputations, their properties and, on occasion, even their lives, too their lawyers and they expect a lawyer to fight for justice on their behalf.

Hence, lawyers need to have an overriding duty to uphold the integrity of the legal system, protect its interests and promote its objective, strive to be honest, competent and diligent, give undivided loyalty to public and need to have good dealings with professional colleagues and also must exercise every effort to keep abreast of the latest legal developments in respective areas of practice. Being “Officers of the Court” they require having statutory responsibility to assist in the administration of justice, maintain the rule of law and uphold its related interests and also as lawyers we virtually need to have the public responsibility to uphold the interests of law and justice, as rooted in ethics and also the ethical dimensions of their role correspond to their responsibility towards the society, this way we can build up the status being a lawyer in making effective and efficient legal working for commons.

I conclude that, an practicing advocate  is a professional pleader of the cause of others. The denotative value of the word “advocate” lies in its Latin root “advocare” meaning call to one’s aid.

(The author is Criminal Lawyer & Former Additional Advocate General, Punjab.)