Cllr. Charlyne Brumskine’s address to the Liberia Bar Association as Guest Speaker last Friday, April 4, 2025  during the celebration of LAW DAY at the Temple of Justice

Her Honor, Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Youh of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Liberia, Honorable Associates and Retired Justices, all Judges here present, the Attorney General of the Republic of Liberia, the Liberian National Bar Executive Council and its hard-working staff, Mr. President of the LNBA, Cllr. Varmah, distinguished members of the Bar, Law Day Committee members, Members of the National Legislature, Members of the Executive Branch present, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, clergy, esteemed colleagues, our budding law school scholars, the media and honored guests—

It is a privilege and a profound honor to stand before you today at this gathering of some of the best, brightest, and greatest legal minds. I am at a loss for words to express the tremendous amount of humility and gratitude I carry with me at this moment.

This is one of the greatest honors bestowed upon me professionally. The gravity of this moment is not lost on me.

When I received the phone call from President Varmah, I was beyond excited to make remarks because one thing I know how to do, is talk. I can talk plenty, and I like it! But then, after I got off the phone with him and the conversation settled in, I realized what I would be speaking about: CORRUPTION.

Then I said “Doggit! The thing weh our two immediate past Presidents have called a vampire and ‘the biggest threat to our democracry’… dah the one I coming talk about. The elusive enemy within that no administration has been able to tackle and take down successfully, dah the one Imma come speak on.”

What will I tell these people that they don’t already know? What more can be said about corruption and its wicked consequences? Not one person in this room is uninformed about the chaos corruption causes.

Let me start by stating the obvious about myself: I am one of the fortunate individuals—or perhaps not so fortunate, depending on how you look at it—who has a seat at the grand table of lawyers and who also has a seat at the turbulent table of politicians.

My younger brother, Charles, tells me that people like me are “cursed with ambition”. Maybe he’s right. Maybe there is something so fundamentally and inherently flawed about us, lawyer-politicians. We who willingly dive into shark and snake-invested waters and swim gleefully therein. Even when given a lifevest to get out of the waters, we say “No, no, no. It’s alright. I think I can swim sommor. I wan help my country, I want to save the people who are drowning”. Even as we ourselves are drawing. Do we enjoy the punishment?

Or maybe it’s something else. Maybe we really believe that law and politics are tools of great utility and indispensability to good governance.

Law and Politics:

Twin Brothers Politics and law are inextricable. Politics determines what a society wants to do; law determines how it can be done. They work together to 1) Set national direction, 2) Establish legitimacy.

• Set national direction – Politicians make policies to solve societal problems; the law translates those policies into enforceable rules.

• Establish legitimacy – Laws provide a framework that gives political decisions legitimacy and predictability, both of which are crucial for stability

But I, like my father before me, Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine, have a greater affinity and love for the law than for politics!

Why? Why would I, in a country so driven by politics, prefer the law over politics?

The answer is simple. Because the law belongs to me.

Unlike politics, I can determine the outcome of my legal matter by my input. My success in the law, and ultimately my client’s success, is commensurate with my dedication to the case—my research and my writing. The law, unlike politics, is not a popularity contest. The outcome of my case is not based on how much money I have or my clients have. My case is not determined by my relationship with the judge or, better yet, my relationship with the opposing counsel. No decision based on the merits of the case will be decided by whether or not I sent the magistrate his Christmas last December or if the lawyer on the other side gave him more money. This is the law not politics!

Where ballot boxes have gone missing in elections, files at the court should never mysteriously go missing. The law is the law!

OR IS IT?

This question is no longer easily answered in Liberia. Have we, as jurists, forgotten who we are and who we are called to be?

Jacob and Esau: Which Twin Are We?

If law and politics are twin brothers, as so many people believe them to be, which twin are we? I liken law and politics to the biblical story of Jacob and Esau—twin brothers born of the same nation.

Politics may be like Esau, the firstborn—loud, visible, impulsive, and favored by many. But law, like Jacob, should be quieter, strategic, and enduring. Politics may hunt in the open fields, but law dwells in the tents of justice, order, and wisdom. In the law, there are no comrade, Kpaku, revolutionary tendendacies!

In our time, the birthright of national direction is often claimed by politics. But I submit to you, fellow lawyers and judges, that it is time for the better twin to rise—for law to stand with courage, integrity, and purpose, to guide our nation not only toward progress but toward justice.

Like Jacob, the law must not only seek the blessing, which in many cases is financial gain— it must wrestle, refine itself, and ultimately reconcile with the beneficiaries of justice—the everyday Liberian man, woman and child.

The Sacredness of the Law

The law is sacred! At its very core, the legal system exists to uphold justice, protect rights, and maintain social order. This gives it a moral gravity. It’s not just about rules, it’s about fairness, balance, and human dignity. That sense of justice is what makes it feel sacred to many. Unlike arbitrary rule by force or whim, a legal system aims to bind even the most powerful to a framework of laws. That concept—equality before the law—elevates it to a kind of societal covenant, almost spiritual in its implications. It’s what separates civilization from chaos.

We are, or we ought to be, the protectors of human rights. We are called to protect the most vulnerable among us. This protective role gives us a sacred status in the hearts and minds of Liberians, especially those who have known injustice all of their lives.

In Liberia, the law has the power to challenge tyranny, confront corruption, and affirm a principle that must never change: no matter how mighty, no one is above the law. And perhaps more importantly, no one—no matter how humble—is beneath its protection.

And I say this, especially in the name of those whose cries are too often ignored: the women seeking safety, the youth yearning for the opportunity, the communities demanding recognition, the politicians asking for interpretation and ultimate validation. For them, justice is not an abstract ideal—it is survival. It is hope. And it is sacred.

The Enemy Within: Corruption

But let us not mince words here. If the law is sacred, then corruption is its desecration.

Corruption in the legal sector is not merely a flaw—it is a betrayal. It erodes public trust, it compromises the impartiality of our institutions, and it sends a dangerous message: that justice can be bought, delayed, or denied.

When a bribe changes the course of a case…

When a file goes missing mysteriously…

When influence overrides evidence…

We do more than commit an injustice. We break faith with the people we are meant to serve.

Corruption does not only damage individual cases—it damages the entire legal ecosystem. It undermines the credibility of the bench, the integrity of the bar, and the very concept of the rule of law. And so we must constantly ask ourselves—not just as individuals, but as a legal community:

Are we silently tolerating the very practices that weaken our profession from within? Let us be bold in our honesty. Let us be brave in our reforms. For a legal system cannot protect rights, cannot offer redemption, and cannot call itself sacred—if it is for sale.

Corruption may offer quick rewards, but it steals from our nation’s soul. Every bribe taken is a brick removed from the foundation of trust. Every dishonest act is a delay in our destiny. What does a profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?

So I urge you: Be incorruptible. Be unshakable. Be the example the nation needs. Let your word be your bond, your name be your honor, and your legal practice be your prayer for a better Liberia.

Accountability: The Law Must Police Itself1

But our prayer for a better Liberia is not enough just in words. We must put our hopes into action. We must manifest the very thing we so desire of Liberia. Every day, we groan and mumble about the deteriorating systems in Liberia. Still, we fail to look in the mirror at the contributing role each of us plays in its deterioration.

LNBA, we must build a culture among us where no lawyer is above the law, and no judge is beyond question. Where our systems—our disciplinary committees, our courts, our county bar associations—do not just protect us, but challenge us to live up to the oath we took. Accountability is not an attack on our profession—it is a blessing to it. It tells the people: you can trust us. And trust is the true currency of justice!

So let us not fear accountability—let us embrace it. Let us demand it of ourselves, our colleagues, and our institutions—not with hesitation but with boldness. Because where accountability flourishes, corruption dies, and the law begins to breathe again.

What Now? Practical Steps Toward Accountability

So all this thing I nah talk. It sounds good. It is inspirational, but what do we do when we leave here? What are some practical examples to make accountability real and not just some lofty idea? I’d like to suggest a few before I close.

1. Peer Review and Mentorship

Senior lawyers must actively mentor the younger ones—not only in craft, but in character. Create safe spaces for honest conversations about ethics, boundaries, and dilemmas. Let our wisdom be shared, not hoarded. I know that at every formal gathering of the bar, we have designated seating for Senior Counsellors. Can our Senior Counsellors begin to have monthly meetings where experiences are shared with the younger lawyers or with lawyers who are struggling with ethical issues?

2. Active and Empowered Ethics Committees

Strengthen the disciplinary bodies within the LNBA and the county bar associations. These committees must be independent, responsive, and respected. Complaints should be handled swiftly and transparently—not buried in silence or bureaucracy. The local or county bars should have active discussions around ethics and corruption.

3. Courtroom Decorum and Conduct Reporting

Judges and colleagues must speak up when lawyers abuse court processes, disrespect proceedings, or engage in unethical behavior. Silence is complicity.

4. Continuing Legal Education with a Focus on Ethics

Continue to provide ongoing legal education in a very practical sense.—not just theory, but real-life case studies. Teach not only what the law says but how lawyers feel tempted to twist it—and how to resist.

5. Public Accountability Through Transparent Processes

Let the public see that we police our own. When justice is seen to be done, trust grows. When we discipline one of our own, we show Liberia that the law is still sacred.

I conclude by saying that in a nation that continues to rise from the challenges of its past and shape its place in a complex global future, your role—our role—has never been more urgent or more sacred.

The legal system embodies our collective conscience and is the soul of the Republic of Liberia. We, as lawyers, must continue to be its fiercest guardians.

Thank you.

Cllr. Charlyne Mnamah-Mar Brumskine