Law Minister Asaduzzaman has called for stronger professional training for lawyers, saying many are entering the profession through shortcuts while the lack of proper training is preventing the development of skilled lawyers.
He made the remarks on Tuesday evening at the Bangladesh Bar Council building while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of a private bank sub-branch for lawyers.
The minister said nearly 17,000 lawyers practise in the Supreme Court, but the country still lacks enough lawyers capable of conducting final hearings.
“We want to take the legal profession to a new height through the Bangladesh Bar Council. We want to do whatever is possible for this. But Bar Council members and lawyers also have responsibilities,” he said.
Asaduzzaman urged lawyers to raise issues concerning their professional interests with the government.
“Important issues concerning the profession need to be raised with the government, but no such demands have been made to me in the past six months,” he said.
The minister said plans were underway to gradually provide professional training to 80,000 lawyers.
“This is the only profession where there is no training,” he said, noting that government employees and judges have structured training programmes, while lawyers lack a similar system.
Lawyers obtain their licences and spend years working under senior lawyers before eventually becoming seniors themselves, but there is no professional training during the process, he said.
Asaduzzaman stressed the need to make the Bangladesh Bar Council’s training system more effective to improve lawyers’ professional skills.
He said the government had taken an initiative to reorganise the Bar Council and reform the legal profession.
“We have taken the initiative to reorganise the Bangladesh Bar Council. We want to reform the legal profession in Bangladesh,” he said.
The minister said Tk 50 crore had been allocated to the Bangladesh Bar Council for lawyers’ training, adding that the allocation could be increased gradually each year.
Asaduzzaman said the professional scope for lawyers was gradually narrowing as people increasingly sought to resolve disputes themselves, partly because of the growing use of artificial intelligence.
He also raised concerns about the gap between the judiciary’s revenue and its budget.
The judiciary generates around Tk15,000 crore annually through court fees and lawyers’ authorisation documents (wakalatnamas), while its annual budget is slightly more than Tk2,000 crore, he said.
The allocation for the Supreme Court is also inadequate, he added.
The minister stressed the need to build the Bangladesh Bar Council into a strong institution to enhance the dignity of the legal profession.
He said the Bar Council should become an institution known for education, knowledge, intellect, wisdom and hard work, inspiring future generations to join the legal profession.
Bangladesh Bar Council Chairman Ruhul Quddus Kazal chaired the event. Vice Chairman Zainul Abedin and member Badruddoza Badal were also present.
