Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman has said the government is taking steps to set 35 as the maximum age for entering the legal profession, barring anyone older than that from becoming a lawyer.
He made the remarks on Tuesday at the orientation ceremony of AGO-UNDP Internship Programme, jointly organised by the Attorney General’s Office and UNDP Bangladesh at the Supreme Court Auditorium.
During the event, when the law minister looked towards Attorney General Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal on stage, who affirmed that the decision has already been taken.
The issue of fixing a maximum age limit for enrollment as an advocate was previously recommended by the Legal Education Committee of Bangladesh Bar Council.
On 6 August 2024, a day after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled amid the July uprising, the committee stressed the need to set a reasonable maximum age limit, citing Civil Petition for Leave to Appeal No. 253/2014 before the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division.
In its recommendation, the committee added that setting a maximum age limit for lawyer enrollment is expedient to enhance the dignity and efficiency of the legal profession, ensure long-term professional engagement, and keep the profession dynamic.
Subsequently, the committee’s proposal and recommendations were presented at a Bar Council meeting on 19 August, held under the chairmanship of Kazal. The members present at the meeting unanimously agreed to fix 35 years as the maximum age limit for advocate enrollment, a decision that will come into effect from 1 January 2030.
Currently, under Article 27(1) of the Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Order, 1972, the minimum age for entering the legal profession is 21 years.
However, while a retirement age limit is fixed for Supreme Court judges, there is no set retirement age for lawyers, including the attorney general.
Asaduzzaman said that administration officials might consider practicing law after retirement, but entering the profession anew at that stage makes it difficult to keep pace with lawyers who have worked long-term.
Emphasising the need to elevate the social status of the legal profession, the law minister observed that lawyers face lower demand in marriage compared to doctors, engineers, BCS officers, bankers, and corporate officials.
He stressed that lawyers themselves must play a role in establishing the dignity of their profession.
Asaduzzaman further said a lawyer’s knowledge should not remain confined solely to jurisprudence, emphasising the need for an understanding of economics, chemistry, social contract theory, anthropology, political science, and anatomy.
He noted that knowledge of anatomy is useful in murder cases, just as knowledge of economics is vital in financial dispute cases.
Describing lawyers as “social engineers”, Asaduzzaman said they must play a role in repairing fractures within various spheres of society.
He said to contribute to state- and society-building, lawyers must be good human beings alongside possessing professional competence.
Touching upon accountability for judicial misconduct, the law minister said lawyers must also be brought under accountability. Although a code of conduct exists for lawyers, its application remains limited, he noted, calling upon the chairman of Bangladesh Bar Council to strengthen professional ethics.
Finally, identifying artificial intelligence (AI) as a major future challenge for the legal profession, he urged lawyers to tackle this challenge by applying the experience they gain daily through resolving diverse legal issues in the Supreme Court.
