By: SHALLON S. GONLOR
NIMBA COUNTY — The newly elected leadership of the Nimba Bar Association (NBA) has pledged to guide the institution toward success despite several challenges facing the bar, including members’ failure to attend regular meetings. The new code of officers of the Nimba Bar Association includes Counsellors Kim Amelia Harris, T. Emmanuel Tomah, and Lawrence Tomah as President, Vice President, and Secretary General, respectively. Others are Attorney James M. Giliyeneh, Jr., and Counsellor Dauoda M. Keita, who assumed the position of auditors on the audit committee of the Nimba Bar.
The NBA’s next batch of leadership under president-elect, Cllr. Kim Amelia Harris won on the white ballot and will lead members and the bar’s affairs for two years. Cllr. Harris and her new corp of elected officers of the NBA formal induction ceremony will be characterized by the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) Annual Convention and subsequent election on November 28-29, 2024, in Ganta City, Nimba County.
The crucial expected induction event will mark the smooth handing over of the gavel of authority of the Nimba Bar Association to a new corps of elected officers, as the outgoing president, Cllr. J. Awia Vankan will retire from his term of service. Speaking to a reporter recently in Sanniquellie, Cllr. T. Emmanuel Tomah, the ex-secretary general and current Vice President of the Nimba Bar Association on behalf of president-elect Kim Amelia Harris, said the leadership is driven by a desire to strengthen and elevate the dignity and excellence of the legal profession, aiming for prosperity in the field.
Cllr. Tomah vowed commitment to lead the NBA to success, working towards prosperity under the policy of the bar that covers every individual member. VP Tomah highlighted that under Harris’ tenure, they would collaborate with relevant stakeholders of the county and bar members to enhance social justice and the rule of law, accelerate reforms in the lawyers’ code of conduct, protect Nimba lawyers in their professional practice, and ensure the bar continue legal aid awareness program keep pace with citizens understanding and respect in the rule of law.
“I am going to be serving as that institutional memory, even though the incoming president herself had been a member of the bar. Having served as secretary general and now vice president, I am going to identify where the gaps were and to renew the strategy of how to deal with them”, the NBA incoming vice president stated. He outlined Nimba lawyers’ failure to attend occasions that matter to the betterment of the citizenry, including the bar, as a key challenge hindering the success of the NBA, contributing to the ongoing bar headquarters construction to a standstill.
He also stated that the new leadership would prioritize the continued jubilation and spirit of the NBA to address constraints the NBA faces in social and economic development. The priority for the continued re-jubilation and spirit of the bar intends to promote cooperation among Nimba lawyers, citizens’ legal understanding of the law, and how the law should work, particularly during legal procedures in court where controversies sometimes arise, Cllr. Tomah highlighted.
Additionally, the incoming leadership intends to expand training and capacity-building initiatives for lawyers, fostering transparency and competence in legal practice. He emphasized that the new leadership will build on the existing legacy of the outgoing leadership to fast-track the ongoing headquarters building of the bar and achievement of several challenges.
VP Tomah vowed that the Nimba Bar Association’s new leadership will work to modernize and improve the management efficiency of the association while enhancing collaboration with all stakeholders to strengthen the capacity of lawyers and other key principals. Cllr. J. Awia Vankan, outgoing president of the Nimba Bar Association, has underscored the institution’s achievements under his leadership.
However, he acknowledged that the NBA continues to face challenges as an institution due to lawyers’ alleged failure to cooperate with the bar leadership in their work. Cllr. Vankan challenged the body’s new leadership to build on the existing legacy that he left behind for the betterment of the body.
The outgoing NBA president, however, praised the support of some members of the association over the years, including its legal protection for the lawyers, provision of free legal consultations, legal education for the public, and the strengthening of lawyers’ capacities, along with other related initiatives. Cllr. Vankan highlighted the essential role of lawyers in the justice system, emphasizing their mission to promote a society governed by the rule of law through the protection of citizens’ rights.
He encouraged Nimba lawyers to increase support and participate in NBA activities to further ensure justice for impoverished citizens, thereby fulfilling both their social responsibility and legal obligations. Vankan also urged his colleagues to remain engaged in the Nimba Bar Association (NBA) process, which offers an alternative to traditional courts while carrying the same authority as a court ruling.
Currently, the NBA has about 109 persons in membership, but at most meetings and support, the number can not exceed 25 lawyers, outgoing president Vankan disclosed. He, however, expressed optimism about the future of the bar, calling on his colleagues to embrace innovation and work further to ensure the far-reaching success of the bar.
