Has a dodgy lawyer stolen your money? Here's how you can be reimbursed

Sara-Jayne Makwala King is joined by Simthandile Myemane, Practitioner Support Manager at Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund.

Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below.

Have you fallen victim to unscrupulous lawyers?

If you have paid money to a lawyer or a legal firm for a service and those funds have been stolen, you do have options for recourse.

Thanks to the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund, you can be reimbursed if you can prove that you have been wronged.

"The Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund is an institution that is established in terms of the Legal Practice Act. The purpose of the institution is to reimburse clients of legal practitioners who entrust their money with the legal practitioners and in the process of receiving a service their money goes missing at the hands of the legal practitioners. The money does not necessarily get misappropriated or stolen by the legal practitioners themselves, at times it is by their employees..."

- Simthandile Myemane, Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund

The Fund exists to protect, and help vulnerable victims who have had their monies stolen by legal professionals, to recover those monies, and hold the lawyers accountable.

Just last year, 290 cases against defaulting attorneys were dealt with and more than a dozen attorneys were successfully prosecuted and convicted.

To avoid being taken for a ride by dodgy lawyers or legal firms, Myemane emphasises that you do your due diligence and conduct thorough research.

"If you want to use the services of a legal practitioner, check with the Legal Practice Council first, which is the regulator of the profession, if they have that person registered with them." 

- Simthandile Myemane, Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund

For a full breakdown of what is required to make a claim, visit the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund website.

Scroll up to listen to the full conversation.