If the Consumer Council is aware of the contents of the Legal Practitioners Act they must also know that procedures are set out and complaints lodged against lawyers need to be proved.

Those are the words of Fiji Law Society President Dor Sami Naidu who stressed that the Fiji Law Society cannot jump and deal with complaints adding there is a need to hear both sides.

Consumer Council Chief Executive Officer Premila Kumar had raised concern that consumers have registered complaints against lawyers for malpractice, misrepresentation, inappropriate billing and negligence and if the Fiji Law Society had pursued consumer complaints against its members and taken action, the complaint figures would not have reached 200.

However, Naidu said they have started looking into the complaints.