Foundation for Legal Aid Research and Empowerment (FLARE) has held a public lecture recently in December 2006, on the theme “Lawyering for Development”.

Speaking at the conference hall of the Paradise Suite Hotel, the guest speaker of the occasion, Amie Bensouda, a senior legal practitioner and president of the Gambia Bar Association, said “the interpreters of the law - that is the legislators - need to understand the law, but unfortunately those are the least equipped to understand it”.

“The role of the lawyers is, of course, key to the development of the law and its application,” she said.

She however said the public perception of the lawyer is generally limited to “the more colorful figure of the advocate, who advises and when requested represents his or her client in court for a fee or even worst as a prosecutor”.