Lawyer: Questions about an entrance "ticket"
31 October 2007
Read by 1594 persons
• Trainees pay a fee to be registered with the bar
• From 35,000 to 40,000 dirhams in large cities
• Many trainees say they do not see the counterpart
Becoming a lawyer is a dream for many young law graduates. For others, it's a way out of unemployment. But to have the title of Master, you must first pay an entrance fee. This is where the process gets stuck. "For lack of means, it is not easy. It's a stick in the wheels of the trainees," storms a trainee lawyer who speaks of obstruction. "No one can deny that this contribution represents a barrier to entry into the profession," he adds. Many brilliant cases had to be abandoned for lack of being able to mobilize this sum, acknowledges Master Jalal Taher, Secretary General of the Casablanca Bar Association. In detail, this entrance fee is composed of registration fees on the list of trainees (35,000 dirhams), file fees (500 dirhams) and insurance costs 7,589 dirhams. For a total of 43,089 dirhams, for the Casablanca Bar. This amount is not standard, it differs depending on the regions. "No one disputes this obligation, since it provides us with rights and advantages that do not exist for trainees in other professions. But, it would have been more appropriate for small purses to pay it with payment facilities," underlines a trainee.
This sine qua non condition creates in some the feeling that the profession is reserved for the rich. "This does exist in some people, but it remains that cases presenting verified financial precariousness can have payment facilities. The most deprived people can pay only one third of the contribution, as they can be exempted from 1/3 and in some cases from the whole," reveals the Secretary General.
This contribution is perceived as an obligation to join the profession and access certain advantages and protections. What advantages? Several aspirants contest, all speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals.
When a young lawyer takes the oath, it generates commitments for the Order. Entering the "club" implies charges. Thus, it is necessary to provide him with supervision, seminars, training periodically to follow legal developments. "We invite judges, academics, economic operators, or our foreign colleagues to benefit from their experience and trainees and lawyers," details Jalal.
This generates costs to which must be added those relating to the administrative functioning of the bar (employees, papers, telephone...). To introduce the new black robes to the evolution of jurisprudence, both national and international, periodic reviews are published and distributed free of charge. "There is also the lawyers' club whose installments are always paid to the CDG," adds the Secretary General.
Unlike other professions, trainee lawyers benefit from insurance covering the three years of internship. "It is of the order of 7,589 DH that newcomers must pay. It includes life insurance as well as health insurance," affirms Jalal.
Published October 16, 2007
Leconomiste.com
• From 35,000 to 40,000 dirhams in large cities
• Many trainees say they do not see the counterpart
Becoming a lawyer is a dream for many young law graduates. For others, it's a way out of unemployment. But to have the title of Master, you must first pay an entrance fee. This is where the process gets stuck. "For lack of means, it is not easy. It's a stick in the wheels of the trainees," storms a trainee lawyer who speaks of obstruction. "No one can deny that this contribution represents a barrier to entry into the profession," he adds. Many brilliant cases had to be abandoned for lack of being able to mobilize this sum, acknowledges Master Jalal Taher, Secretary General of the Casablanca Bar Association. In detail, this entrance fee is composed of registration fees on the list of trainees (35,000 dirhams), file fees (500 dirhams) and insurance costs 7,589 dirhams. For a total of 43,089 dirhams, for the Casablanca Bar. This amount is not standard, it differs depending on the regions. "No one disputes this obligation, since it provides us with rights and advantages that do not exist for trainees in other professions. But, it would have been more appropriate for small purses to pay it with payment facilities," underlines a trainee.
This sine qua non condition creates in some the feeling that the profession is reserved for the rich. "This does exist in some people, but it remains that cases presenting verified financial precariousness can have payment facilities. The most deprived people can pay only one third of the contribution, as they can be exempted from 1/3 and in some cases from the whole," reveals the Secretary General.
This contribution is perceived as an obligation to join the profession and access certain advantages and protections. What advantages? Several aspirants contest, all speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals.
When a young lawyer takes the oath, it generates commitments for the Order. Entering the "club" implies charges. Thus, it is necessary to provide him with supervision, seminars, training periodically to follow legal developments. "We invite judges, academics, economic operators, or our foreign colleagues to benefit from their experience and trainees and lawyers," details Jalal.
This generates costs to which must be added those relating to the administrative functioning of the bar (employees, papers, telephone...). To introduce the new black robes to the evolution of jurisprudence, both national and international, periodic reviews are published and distributed free of charge. "There is also the lawyers' club whose installments are always paid to the CDG," adds the Secretary General.
Unlike other professions, trainee lawyers benefit from insurance covering the three years of internship. "It is of the order of 7,589 DH that newcomers must pay. It includes life insurance as well as health insurance," affirms Jalal.
Published October 16, 2007
Leconomiste.com
