Lawyers will be obliged to wear robes in court

The Parliament of Moldova passed a bill with amendments to the law on the work of lawyers in first reading. The bill suggests setting up five regional law offices and imposing new requirements on lawyers, Info-Prim Neo reports. The bill defines the status of lawyer on probation and modifies the disciplinary punishment mechanisms and the norms concerning the continuous training of lawyers. “All the lawyers will be reassessed and the companies where they work will be re-registered. The lawyers will be obliged to wear robes in court,” Minister of Justice Alexandru Tanase said. The minister also said that the new bill limits the participation of persons who do not have the necessary qualifications and the lawyers' license in trials. “It is aimed at reorganizing the work of the lawyers,” he added. The amendments were formulated after analyzing thoroughly the normative framework. The bill was drafted by the Ministry of Justice in concert with a working group consisting of representatives of the Bar Association of Moldova, the National Council for State-Guaranteed Legal Assistance, the Bar Association “Public Layers”, the Law Program of Soros Foundation - Moldova and of the Norwegian Mission of Experts of Rule of Law Advisers to Moldova (NORLAM).