Biney Defends Boakai’s ‘Good Lawyer’ Remark

MARYLAND COUNTY, Liberia — Maryland County Senator James P. Biney has defended President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s recent “good lawyer” remark, cautioning lawyers and the public against interpreting it as suggesting corruption or improper influence within the judiciary.

Biney said the President’s assertion that “a brilliant lawyer knows the law, but a good lawyer knows the judge” should be considered in the broader context of legal practice rather than automatically linked to an improper relationship between lawyers and judges.

According to Biney, a brilliant lawyer is expected to have a strong understanding of statutes, case law, legal research and courtroom advocacy, including the ability to effectively present legal arguments.

He argued, however, that being a good lawyer also requires understanding the judicial environment in which those arguments are presented.

“A good lawyer studies the judge and would take keen interest in studying his or her past rulings, judicial approach and the manner in which particular arguments and evidence are considered,” Biney explained.

He said understanding a judge could include studying the judge’s judicial philosophy, previous rulings and approach to different forms of legal arguments and evidence.

Biney maintained that such preparation should not necessarily be interpreted as cultivating improper relationships or attempting to influence a judge.

“Every lawyer must exert enormous effort to know the judge or justice before whom he or she presents arguments. It helps his or her case greatly,” Biney said.

The Maryland County senator argued that interpreting the phrase “a good lawyer must know the judge” solely as an indication of corruption amounts to a narrow reading of the President’s statement.

He said the broader context of the remark should be considered before conclusions are drawn about what the President intended.

Biney also responded to criticism reportedly raised by Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe, who has expressed concern about the implications of the President’s remark for legal ethics and public confidence in the judiciary.

Gongloe has argued that the statement could create the impression that success in court depends on familiarity or relationships with judges rather than knowledge of the law and the strength of legal arguments.

Biney, however, suggested that political differences could shape interpretations of the President’s statement and called for what he described as a broader assessment of its meaning.

The differing views have fueled public discussion over whether Boakai’s remark should be understood as referring to lawyers studying judges’ judicial philosophies and courtroom approaches or whether it carries troubling implications for perceptions of judicial independence.

President Boakai has separately emphasized the importance of an independent judiciary and said judicial officers should administer justice fairly and impartially.