site.btaJustice Minister: Lawyers Are Guarantor of Spirit of Law

Lawyers are guarantor of the spirit of the law, Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev said, quoted by his press office, addressing the General Assembly of the Sofia Bar Association. Amendments to the Bar Act, which would provide for setting a minimum remuneration for lawyers' services, as well as adequate payment for legal aid, are priorities of the Justice Ministry, he added. He said the role of the lawyer is much more important than the one traditionally assigned to it. First of all, it is an expression of the legal consciousness, of the attitude towards law, of the understanding that besides the letter, the law has a spirit, Minister Georgiev added.

The current challenges facing the profession "are not easy to overcome", Minister Georgiev outlined. "Especially in the midst of elections in the judiciary, it is important to be aware of the necessity of a competition in which, in the end, those who win the trust of the majority of colleagues will win," he said. Minister Georgiev also pointed to the need to preserve the image and prestige, and public confidence in lawyers.

Georgiev strongly confirmed the position on the necessity to take measures to determine the minimum lawyer's remuneration in the Bar Act and stressed that this is not a problem of Bulgarian lawyers, but of the citizens and legal entities whose rights and interests lawyers defend. In his words, the Justice Ministry is ready to guarantee adequate payment for legal aid. Georgiev thanked the colleges from all over the country for the working mechanism to help victims of domestic violence - another of the Ministry's priorities.

National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova, Supreme Bar Council Chairman Ivaylo Dermendjiev, National Legal Aid Bureau President Natalia Ilieva, Sofia District Court President Alexander Angelov also addressed the Sofia lawyers.

The Assembly is expected to elect delegates to the General Assembly of the Supreme Bar Council, which will be held at the end of February and at which new governing bodies will be elected.

The newly elected members of the Sofia Bar Association leadership for the next three-year term took office on January 14.