Lawyers adopt resolution on protection of their profession

SREMSKI KARLOVCI - Officials of bar organisations and participants of an international roundtable on problems related to the lawyer profession and its relations with notaries public adopted on Tuesday a resolution on the protection of the independence of the lawyer profession in Serbia.

The document, which states that the independence of the profession is currently at threat in Serbia, thereby undermining the rule of law, was signed by offcials of bar organisations from Romania, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Slovenia and Hungary.

They stated that they supported unconditionally and in full the lawyer protest in Serbia and called for protection of the independence of the lawyer profession and basic rughts and freedoms in the country.

Interference from the executive branch of government with the independence and self-regulation of the lawyer profession is unacceptable, the resolution says.

President of the Serbian Bar Association Dragoljub Djordjevic told reporters ahead of the roundtable, which was used to discuss current problems between the lawyers and notaries public in Serbia, which caused the lawyers to go on strike 73 days ago, that there was a trend in Serbia of attacking the lawyer profession.

The serious issues created by the amendments to the law on notaries public have caused something that has never happened in Serbia or the EU, he noted, adding that the lawyers in Serbia wanted a combination of the provisions of the law from 2011 and some key provisions from the Croatian law on notaries public.

"It means that the people would be free to decide whether they want to write contracts for their private legal affairs on their own, or to have a lawyer or notary public do it for them,...