Lawyers ticked off for employing touts

They hang around the courts waiting to take advantage of people who are in a fragile and helpless state.

PETALING JAYA: The National Legal Aid Foundation (YGBK) has hit out at lawyers who employ touts to get clients, reminding them that they are flouting the Legal Profession Act.

Touting has become a “major menace” to legal practice, according to Ravi Neeko, who chairs the YGBK Steering Committee.

Speaking to FMT, Ravi pointed out that the main motivation behind touting was monetary gain. He said there was therefore a great possibility that lawyers who employed touts were more interested in money than in their clients’ interests.

“Touts hang around the courts, waiting to take advantage of people who are in a fragile and helpless state,” he said.

“They would give false hopes to their potential clients by promising them that the lawyers they work for can give them the best representation.

“If I’m a tout, how do I convince you to hire a certain lawyer? Surely I have to tell you that the lawyer I’m working for will help get you the best deal.”

Ravi noted that touting was common around courts throughout the country although it is against the Legal Profession Act and is therefore a form of misconduct.

One reason it is so widespread, according to him, is that many people were unaware of the services offered by YGBK, which include free representation in criminal cases.

“People usually accept recommendations by touts because, at those moments when they are approached, they’re stressed and frightened and not thinking straight.

“If they knew that YGBK exists and that we maintain quality control although our services are free, then they would certainly opt to have us represent them.”