Pheona Wall spent Saturday restless after learning about the arrest of Ambrose Tebyasa. “He called me in the morning that strange people were taking him and I had to act,” she says. “I rushed to Kabalagala police station to secure his release but the people who arrested him kept tossing me around.”
Wall says she vowed not to leave without his release or an elaborate explanation on the arrest. “What is disappointing is that he was arrested on account of his professional duty as a lawyer and officer of court,” she says.
On September 28, after a relentless fight that had Wall camping at SHACU offices, Tebyasa was finally released on bond. This incident is her first real test and one can argue she passed with flying colours.
Later, when Wall met with The Observer, she put on a calm demeanor, so calm she can fittingly be in any other profession apart from legal profession that brings out feistiness of people.
“People often think I’m soft but I have been hardened by my upbringing to fight for what is right.
“I had a very simple but deliberate upbringing; my parents were very purposeful and involved. In my life, I have experienced the political upheavals of this country and I think the beauty of being born in the seventies gave me a lot of resilience,” she says.
On that background, Wall says the legal fraternity should expect her to fight for the reputation of ULS.
“I think the biggest challenge to ULS is to rebuild the trust of the people because trust issues between lawyers and clients are very crucial. I want to rebuild the ULS reputation as a society of eminent persons that can be trusted. I know it is going to be an uphill task but that is why we are promoting faithful, available, teachable and ethical practice,” she says.
“The other challenge is to increase member value proposition; in many ways the members have not been a big priority for ULS because sometimes our mandate to promote the rule of law pulls us left, right and center. So, because of that you find that we have not fully attended to our members.”
Beyond that, she is looking to change a few things at ULS. “We want to do some tweaks and additions to increase our efficiency and grow our member value proposition; so, one thing we want to ensure is that we have member support desks at our 21 legal aid clinics across the country so that members can get services closer to them and to ensure that we do private prosecutions of officers that abuse their power,” she says.
“We will also ensure that illegally contracted prosecutions are not upheld in courts of law. We also want to look at the ULS house, ensure that we get the government-pledged money out so that we begin the building process. In the short run, we also want to ensure that professional development of our members is tracked; thus, we shall have more trainings and other services to enable the diaspora lawyers meet their continuing professional development (CPD) requirements.”
It is worth noting that Wall leads a female-dominated ULS executive with the top four positions occupied by women. To this, she says leading an all-women executive is amazing.
“These women are multitasking, talented and very demanding; they don’t get tired and are willing to call you at all sorts of hours. We are always there for each other. I love that they are very passionate women and differently gifted; so, we complement each other very well,” she says.
“They are very strong women; so, you have to contemplate on your point before you put it across, for it will be tested. It is not an all-women ULS executive; I am proud of the men there as well for they are strong and strategic thinkers. We are all determined to make ULS the bedrock of affirmative action within the legal profession.”
Among the issues she also seeks to address are impostors in the profession. “I think that if we make the ULS very attractive, if we create a directory on a website and clarify which lawyers are qualified and build their profile, people will be more attracted to proper lawyers,” she says. “Quack lawyers are actually a symptom to the main problem, which has been lack of a clear distinction between the two.”
Personal life
Beyond her role as ULS president, Wall says she is motivated by the desire to make a difference in life. “I am not attracted to success stories; so, usually I take on jobs that challenge me and bring out the best in me. Also, as a Christian, one of the things I try to do is listen to God’s bidding and also seek counsel from my mentors,” she says.
Wall, who grew in Jinja, hails from Kanungu and is a mother of three; a girl and two boys. “I have been married for 14 years. I am a devout Christian, lawyer with 15 years’ experience in legal practice. By the way, I am also a chartered mediator and a governance professional,” she says.
Her biggest inspiration is evangelist Billy Graham, Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama. “Oprah rose from nothing and is helping other people rise from the ashes. As for Michelle, I think it is not very easy for women in power to be balanced with family and know their priorities when it comes to their marriages; so, as a person who values family life, I look up to her. Politically, I look up to Malcom X for he stood for whatever he believed in and was not afraid to speak the truth and stand up for justice.”
Now that she has the tough ULS mandate, it remains to be seen how she will balance that work with her personal job as the legal head at National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC).
“This is not going to be a difficult task because I was the vice president and the secretary as well as head of the legal department at NWSC; so, over the years, we have built strong teams and networks,” she says.
“I believe that one of my biggest strengths is to get people work together and get them to achieve goals; so, it will really be put to the test during my term. I pledge to prioritize and be in the moment of whichever organization I am serving at any one point and I have a very strong support system at the ULS. Therefore, I will be able to carry out my mandate.”