Uganda Law Society bans ‘My Lord’ and courtroom bowing in push to end colonial traditions

Uganda Law Society bans ‘My Lord’ and courtroom bowing in push to end colonial traditions
Uganda Law Society bans ‘My Lord’ and courtroom bowing in push to end colonial traditions - Uganda Law Society's Vice President, Asiimwe Anthony. (Photo: ULS)
Uganda Law Society's Vice President, Asiimwe Anthony. (Photo: ULS)

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According to the Society, the reforms are intended to dismantle colonial traditions that portray judicial officers as superior to the citizens they serve.

The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has directed all its members to immediately stop addressing judges and magistrates using colonial-era titles such as "My Lord", "Your Lordship", "My Lady" and "Your Worship", in a bold move aimed at decolonising the country's legal profession.
In an Executive Order titled "Abolition of Colonial Court Culture", ULS President and Head of the Bar, Isaac Ssemakadde, also prohibited advocates from bowing before judicial officers, saying the long-standing practices promote unnecessary deference and are incompatible with modern constitutional values.
"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.

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Instead, advocates have been instructed to use plain forms of address such as "Mr Justice", "Madam Justice", "Mr Judge", "Madam Judge", "Mr Magistrate" or simply refer to judicial officers by their surnames where appropriate.
According to the Society, the reforms are intended to dismantle colonial traditions that portray judicial officers as superior to the citizens they serve.
"All advocates and litigants appearing before any court or tribunal shall stand upright and speak as free citizens," the directive states.

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It argues that courtroom rituals inherited from the colonial era "force Ugandans into postures of humiliation as the powerful enjoy comfort and deference".
Beyond changes to courtroom etiquette, the ULS has announced a 90-day nationwide consultation on court culture and the Judiciary's Client Charter.
The consultations will bring together representatives from the Bench, the Bar and citizens' groups to examine the continued use of colonial wigs, gowns and foreign legal terminology, while proposing reforms that better reflect Uganda's history, culture and constitutional values.
The Society also plans to rewrite the Judiciary Client Charter in plain language to make it more accessible to the public and strengthen citizens' rights to timely, respectful and efficient judicial services.
Although the Executive Order takes effect immediately, it applies only to members of the Uganda Law Society and does not automatically change courtroom procedures or bind Uganda's Judiciary.
The order states that it "takes immediate effect across all members of the Uganda Law Society" and will be published on the Society's website and circulated to advocates.
The move marks one of the most far-reaching attempts by a legal profession in the region to dismantle colonial courtroom traditions and is expected to spark debate across East Africa, where many Commonwealth countries, including Kenya, continue to observe similar judicial customs inherited from British colonial rule.

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