Candidate for Secretary LHCBA Presents His Manifesto
SHERJEEL ADNAN SHEIKH
CANDIDATE FOR SECRETARY, Lahore High Court Bar Association (2016/2017)
ABOUT THE CANDIDATE:
My name is Sherjeel Adnan Sheikh and I am an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. I am also a qualified Barrister from Lincoln’s Inn, London, and have over 15 years of experience in the legal profession.
I belong to a family of lawyers and have deep roots in this profession. My father and elder brother are both practicing lawyers and each has his own independent and diverse area of practice.
I have mostly practiced on the civil side of the law and have represented numerous corporations, public-sector entities and private individuals before various courts and forums of Pakistan. I regularly appear before the Lahore High Court, as well as the Supreme Court of Pakistan, in various contentious matters.
I would like to offer myself as a candidate for the position of “Secretary” of the Lahore High Court Bar Association and look forward to gaining your support, trust and confidence.
My brief manifesto is given below. I shall also be happy to share my ideas with you personally, at a time and date of your convenience.
BRIEF MANIFESTO
- Training & Professional Development of Advocates
- Continuing Professional Development: The concept of Continuing Professional Development will be introduced at the Bar. Under this scheme, lawyers will be encouraged to develop their skills, knowledge and professional standards in areas relevant to their areas of practice. For this purpose, monthly or fortnightly training seminars will be organized, covering a wide range of subjects, which shall be conducted by senior advocates and retired judges of the superior courts.
- Law Clerkship Program: Efforts will be made to persuade the Lahore High Court to initiate a “law clerkship” program, similar to the law clerkship program being run by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. This will not only help improve the administration of justice, by providing judges with the necessary legal support in researching of laws and drafting of judgments, but also provide an avenue of opportunity for young lawyers to gain an insight into judicial work and obtain valuable legal experience.
- Assistance to Young Lawyers: A committee will be formed to assist young lawyers in the process of applying for and obtaining their High Court license from the Punjab Bar Council, as well as membership of the LHCBA. Furthermore, they will be provided with guidance on their careers and development in the legal profession.
- Mentorship Program: A mentorship program will be set up whereby senior lawyers will be requested to become volunteer mentors to young lawyers, in order to provide them guidance and share their vast experiences with them.
- Ethics & Conduct
- Professional ethics will be promoted and seminars on legal ethics will be organized for this purpose in collaboration with the Punjab Bar Council.
- The platform of the Bar Association will be used to foster the rule of law and work towards maintaining a harmonious relationship between the bench and the bar.
- The ideals of supremacy of the Constitution, protection of fundamental rights and rule of law will be upheld and the Bar Association will play its due role in resisting any attempts to subvert the Constitution or derail democracy.
- Facilities
- The annual budget of the LHCBA will be properly and efficiently utilized to improve the facilities at the premises of the Lahore High Court e.g. purchase of new books for the library, better furniture and facilities for the bar rooms, cleaner canteens with a better variety of food and drinks, more hygienic washrooms, etc. Efforts will be made to ensure overall cleaner and hygienic conditions in order to provide a dignified professional environment for lawyers.
- I will also endeavor to improve the IT facilities within the High Court premises, with installation of a larger number of Wi-Fi routers, so that high speed wireless internet access is available to lawyers at most places.
- More seating facilities will be provided to litigants and lawyers, around the High Court premises, for their comfort and ease. Furthermore, water fountains / dispensers shall be placed at various locations for easy access to drinkable water.
- A more responsive bar
- Lawyers will be regularly invited to open house sessions which will be specially organized for the purposes of ascertaining their grievances and getting their feedback and full efforts will be made to address these grievances on an urgent basis. Furthermore, a dedicated phone number, email address and facebook page will be set up to receive complaints, grievances, suggestions etc. from the lawyer community and prompt responses will be provided by the bar association.
- A benevolent fund shall be proposed to be set up for the benefit of low-income lawyers, providing for assistance in the form of pensions, marriage funds for daughters and medical treatment. The fund will be maintained via charitable donations from the legal community, as well as through direct fund-raising efforts by the Bar through various events.
These are some of my ideas and thoughts. I am, however, happy to incorporate any useful and workable ideas and suggestions that you may have and also look forward to any constructive criticism in this regard.
Together we will be able to improve our Bar and establish it as a role model for other bar associations across Pakistan.
I thank you for your support and encouragement and look forward to your vote.
Sherjeel Adnan Sheikh
Advocate Supreme Court
Barrister-at-Law
Mobile: 0320-0784000
Email: [email protected]
This is not paid content and CTL or members of its Editorial Team are not linked to any particular candidate or group. We aim to provide a platform to the legal community and other candidates are welcome to submit their manifesto for publication to [email protected]
