Cllr. Juah Pledges Transformational, Accountable Leadership At NAPDOL By: Yassah J. Wright

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The National Association of Public Defenders of Liberia, (NAPDOL) President, Bestman D. Juah, Sr. has pledged transformational and accountable leadership to his colleagues.  Cllr. Juah was overwhelmingly elected President of NAPDOL by delegates in attendance held at the Temple of Justice, Capitol Hill in Monrovia. Consequently, he and other elected officers were inducted into office by the Secretary-General and President-elect of the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA), Cllr. Bornor M. Vamah, to lead NAPDOL for the next two years.  In his inaugural address to delegates of the convention, Cllr. Juah vowed amongst other things, to provide transformational and accountable leadership during his tenure.  He further guaranteed that adequate legal representation of indigents and welfare of public defenders will be the hallmarks of his administration. Besides, Cllr. Juah assured delegates that his administration will constructively engage national government through the Judiciary for additional budgetary support to the Public Defenders’ Program in addressing the challenges faced by them (Public Defenders), including the lack of vehicles and harmonized salaries of public defenders. Unlike judges and county attorneys/state prosecutors, public defenders do not have vehicles in all political sub-divisions of the country.  Cllr. Juah stated that they use commercial motorbikes to obtain witnesses and other pieces of evidence for trials.  He also said public defenders on a daily basis use commercial motorbikes as a means of transportation to courts. Cllr. Juah, a Liberian, is duly licensed to practice law in the country. As a member of the Supreme Court Bar and the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA) respectively, he actively practices before the Honourable Supreme Court of Liberia, specialized and circuit courts, magisterial courts and administrative agencies.  He has worked with the Supreme Court of Liberia as Research Officer and assigned to the Chambers Justice Jamesetta Howard Wolokolie where his primary duties were to conduct comprehensive legal research and assist in the drafting and preparation of Opinions and Judgments of the Honourable Supreme Court. Also, he has worked as an associate of the erstwhile Brumskine & Associates, a renowned corporate law firm in Liberia.  Meanwhile, Cllr. Juah works as a public defender or criminal defense attorney assigned in Monrovia, Montserrado County, providing general legal services to indigent criminal defendants.

 

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