Taking advantage of the opening of the new Palace of Justice in Rabat in 2022, an individual who had been posing as a lawyer for several years in the Moroccan capital recently won cases worth several hundred thousand euros.
After scrutinizing the files and identifying new cases, he approached the plaintiffs in a black robe and offered his services. Winning several cases, he built up a portfolio large enough to plead against state bodies such as the General Directorate of National Security or the Moroccan National Railways Office, winning more than 1.5 million dirhams for his client ($145,000).
The hoax would have lasted indefinitely had the impostor not made the mistake, or the impropriety, of delaying payment to two of his clients, security agents who had been suspended from their duties. The two former policemen went to the Rabat Bar Association to file a complaint against the lawyer in the hope of speeding up their compensation.
The Bar Association discovered that the lawyer’s name was unknown to the association and did not exist on its rolls. They reported this to the authorities, who moved to arrest the impostor. Investigations revealed that the so-called lawyer used to approach potential clients and demand high fees upfront. Moroccan media reported that he had worked in a famous law firm in Rabat, which allowed him to learn the procedures on the job and then open his own law firm. He was arrested on March 1.
The case is reminiscent of the American TV series “Suits,” which features Mike Ross, a brilliant young man who dreams of becoming a lawyer but, unable to realize his dream, earns a living by taking bar exams for fees in place of other candidates. His intelligence enables him to be hired as an assistant to one of New York’s most famous lawyers in a large firm that only admits Harvard graduates.