Lawyers to wear gowns

Under the modifications proposed to be introduced to the law on advocacy and other legislative documents, the layers will have to wear gowns. The civil society represented by the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Corruption together with the Bar Association welcomed the amendments, but stressed that the courts are not yet ready for them. “There are no rooms where the lawyers could keep these gowns and where they could change,” said Gheorghe Amihalachioae, the president of the Bar Association of Moldova, Info-Prim Neo reports. The proposed modifications are now being debated. The Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Corruption analyzed them thoroughly, pointing out their strong and weak points. The Center's head Galina Bostan said that she does not agree with a number of amendments. “I do not understand why the lawyers will not be allowed to carry out paid scientific and teaching work,” Bostan said. “Moreover, this provision discriminates against the lawyers as the judges were not banned from doing such work.” The lawyers do not agree with the transfer of the registration procedures from the Ministry of Justice to the State Registration Chamber. According to them, the economic entities are usually registered at the State Registration Chamber and this could mislead the society as regards the purpose of the lawyer's work. They also pointed to the large number of intermediaries and nonprofessionals who have the same rights as the qualified lawyers. Gheorghe Amihalachioae said this is practice admitted in the former Soviet area that damages the lawyer's image. Under the amendments, five regional bar associations will be created in Moldova. They will work in the existent districts of the Courts of Appeals. About 2,000 qualified lawyers work in Moldova at present. For comparison, more than 11,000 lawyers work in Romania's capital Bucharest alone.