A Legal Analysis of the Role of Bar Associations towards Access to Justice for the Poor: A Case Study of Cameroon

On the basis of unequal access to justice in Cameroon characterized by an imbalance between the rich and poor, it is the aim of this paper to suggest that the main principles of the rule of law should be improved for the poor, in order to ensure equity in every society. Considering that legal representation constitutes the core of access to justice, the present paper attempts to critically analyse the contribution of the Cameroon Bar Association towards access to justice for the poor, focusing on Cameroon, with the objective of promoting good governance and reducing poverty. The challenges that emerged from this study are to enable lawyers to reconcile their professional interests and those of their clients, to replace the business aspect of the legal profession with the traditionally altruistic role of lawyers, and by so doing, provide equal justice to the poor. The paper concludes that in Cameroon, as in other places, the Bar helps more than it hinders access to justice. In order to strengthen the role of the Bar in promoting access to justice, the establishment of CARPA is recommended here, whose additional advantage, apart from that of promoting good handling of clients' money, is promoting good governance within the bar, may be to provide through bank interest, funds to finance legal aid. Akama Samuel Penda | Ngatchou Toto Carles "A Legal Analysis of the Role of Bar Associations towards Access to Justice for the Poor: A Case Study of Cameroon" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-4 | Issue-1 , December 2019, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd29794.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/management/law-and-management/29794/a-legal-analysis-of-the-role-of-bar-associations-towards-access-to-justice-for-the-poor-a-case-study-of-cameroon/akama-samuel-penda