NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 8 – The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has ordered its members to immediately abandon colonial-era courtroom traditions, including addressing judicial officers as “My Lord,” “Your Lordship,” “My Lady,” and “Your Worship,” as part of a sweeping drive to decolonise the country’s legal profession.

📻 Breaking It Down

In an Executive Order issued Tuesday, ULS President and Head of the Bar Isaac Ssemakadde directed advocates to adopt plain, modern forms of address for judicial officers while also prohibiting the long-standing practice of bowing before judges.

The directive, titled “Abolition of Colonial Court Culture,” takes immediate effect, he told members.

“The practice of bowing or any other form of physical subservience before judicial officers is henceforth prohibited for all members of the Uganda Law Society,” the order states.

📌 What You Need to Know

It directs advocates to instead to address judicial officers as “Mr. Justice,” “Madam Justice,” “Mr. Judge,” “Madam Judge,” “Mr. Magistrate,” or simply by their surnames where appropriate.

The Law Society said the reforms are intended to dismantle what it described as colonial practices that elevate judicial officers above the citizens they serve.

“All advocates and litigants appearing before any court or tribunal shall stand upright and speak as free citizens,” the order states.

According to the ULS, the changes seek to eliminate rituals that “force Ugandans into postures of humiliation as the powerful enjoy comfort and deference.”

Beyond courtroom etiquette, the Law Society announced a 90-day national consultation on court culture and the Judiciary’s Client Charter.

The consultations will bring together representatives of the Bench, the Bar and citizens’ associations to review the continued use of colonial wigs, gowns and foreign legal language, while proposing court procedures that better reflect Uganda’s history, culture and service standards.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya