Public Interest

The lawyers who are categorized as public officials are liable to act in public interests, unlike the private sector lawyers who are not public servants. The people in the public sector are there to help and to serve the common public and are therefore accountable to them. These services have various types, and are bound by the administration and laws. The decisions made by these people are open to scrutiny by certain bodies certified by the administration. Therefore, these agencies in the public sector should always behave like model citizens and litigants. The following are the things that should be exercised by them:

• Exercise powers which are reasonable and approved by the court of law
• Take actions by complying to the spirit of law along with any legal obligations
• Make only those decisions for which they are given power
• Accept the liability for their actions

It is clear from above that these public sector agencies have to carefully do their job or land up in trouble. Therefore, these agencies often seek legal advice and guidance from a lawyer. These agencies are free to consult both public sector lawyers as well as private sector lawyers. Agencies which take guidance from the private sector lawyers need to take extra care that their agency acts like a model citizen and acts in public interest rather than its own. Also, it needs to be in accordance with the standards which are set to be followed by all the agencies in the public sector.