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Law Society Newsletter - Issue 1
The Law Society of Zimbabwe
February 24, 2012

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Rent a chair not a legal business structure

The rent a chair craze, whilst a viable and acceptable business form for hair salons, is certainly unlawful and not acceptable business structure for law firms.

We are disturbed to note that a number of emerging law firms are adopting the rent a chair business form. A law firm is a legal partnership. It is not a loose association of lawyers where every lawyer eats what he kills. In a law firm there is a management structure and professional mutual obligations for the Partners and Professional Assistants. It is not acceptable to have a firm where the only obligation partners have towards each other is their contribution towards overheads of the firm. The Managing partner has a duty to the LSZ and the to the clients of the firm. It will not assist the managing partner to shirk responsibility to a client on the basis that the client belongs to a fellow practitioner in the firm. The managing partner should be responsible for the discipline in the law firm. The rent a chair model is therefore a violation of the legal practitioners act and the by - laws; it is unprofessional, it is dishonourable and will be not tolerated. This practise must stop.

The most glaring evidence of this sad practise is the acquisition of practising certificates individually yet the Audit Certificates submitted is one. In some instances Professional Assistants are asked to pay for their practising certificates. This practice ought to stop.

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