Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi announced today, Tuesday, that an agreement has been reached on the draft law governing the legal profession, following extensive discussions with various stakeholders, including lawyers.
In a statement to the press, Ouahbi expressed his satisfaction with the collaboration demonstrated by the President of the Moroccan Bar Association and the bar leaders, who voiced their commitment to defending the unity and independence of the legal profession.
He mentioned that lawyers are preparing to hold their national conference and wished them success, highlighting that the agreed draft law will now be submitted to the General Secretariat of the Government and then to the government for discussion in the coming weeks.
Ouahbi also indicated that a draft law concerning notaries will be introduced, stating that by the end of the current year or the beginning of the next, a law school for lawyers and a school for notaries will be established.
The governmental official affirmed that discussions with lawyers had exceeded 30 meetings, attended in person by the President of the Bar Association along with the bar leaders and association members. While there were disagreements on various texts, the consensus was achieved between the bar leaders, the Ministry of Justice, and related judicial authorities.
He emphasized that the legal profession is undergoing continuous development, necessitating changes in the law that governs it, which requires a review of the law every 10 to 20 years.
He also noted that lawyers are calling for an expansion of their functional responsibilities and roles during their practice, which is a natural request.
Ouahbi pointed out that there has also been agreement with notaries, and their draft law has reached its conclusion, currently with the General Secretariat of the Government pending the determination of a date for its referral to the government council.
It is worth mentioning that the law governing the legal profession had previously sparked widespread outrage among lawyers, leading to protests that even paralyzed courts, particularly with the new provisions introduced by the draft law on civil procedures.
