SLS President urge members to re-familiarize with profession’s statutory framework

By Lagi Keresoma/

Apia, Samoa – 6 October 2025: The President of the Samoa Law Society (SLS) Fiona Ey is calling on its members to “refamiliarize yourselves with our profession’s statutory framework.”

The call was made in a letter to SLS members dated 4 October 2025 .

“I encourage you to refamiliarize yourselves with our profession’s statutory framework. In particular, I refer you to the Society’s functions under s.5 of the Lawyers and Legal Practice Act 2014 which include promoting and encouraging maintenance of the rule of law,” she said in the letter.

She is also encouraged members to “remember our ethical responsibilities as officers of the court and to uphold the standards of conduct expected of legal professionals.”

She confirmed through the letter that the SLS Council have received both positive and negative feedback regarding SLS stance on the matter and are considering them before issuing a response to members next week.

“This will also address comments that have been made in the public domain about consultation between Council and SLS members,” said Ey.

Last week, SLS issued a statement voicing concern over Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Poalataivao Schmidt holding the portfolios of the Ministry of Police and the Attorney General.

“These processes create a significant potential conflict of interest with the Prime Minister’s ministerial responsibilities,” states SLS statement.

The statement prompted immediate reaction from some senior members of SLS who said they were not consulted on the issue prior to the statement.

Some of them have called on the President to leave politics to politicians and let lawyers fight the cases if and when an issue comes up in court, and another has called for her to step down as President.

The statement also prompted a response from the Attorney General, Su’a Helena Wallwork-Lamb who stated that Prime Minister, Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt has not intervened with the prosecutorial processes for the matters he is involved in.

“These are sensitive matters that are currently before the Court and it is not appropriate for my Office to comment on these,” said Madam Attorney General.

“I have also assured the Council of the Samoa Law Society that there is no impediment to the Office of the Attorney General and my constitutional functions with having the Honourable Prime Minister as the Minister for our Office,” she said.

She pointed out that the Office of the Attorney General has always been under the portfolio of the Prime Minister and nothing unusual about it.

Lack of prior consultation
The Society members pointed to the lack of consultation between the President and Council and its members before it issued the statement on 1 October.

The SLS statement has drawn the support of the Commonwealth Law Association (CLA) that issued its own statement which a senior member of the Samoa Law Society, Tanya Toailoa has inferred as patronising.

“In what universe does a lawyer from another country presume to tell me – a lawyer in Samoa raising a concern about a matter in Samoa with the President of the Samoa Law Society – in what universe does a lawyer from another jurisdiction presume to tell me what does or does not require consultation?” Toailoa wrote in an open letter to CLA.

The Samoa Law Society President, Fiona Ey is a member of the Commonwealth Law Association Executive 2025-2027.

Toailoa is urging the President and Council to call a meeting of the Society so they can discuss these issues face to face.

When the Government introduced three controversial legislations in 2019 that the judiciary warned as a threat to the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law, the Samoa Law Society held wide consultations with its members before taking a public stance against the legislations.