The second amendment to the Legal Profession Act has been ratified.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih ratified the second amendment to the act on Sunday.

The bill was passed by the People’s Majlis, at its 24th sitting of the third session of 2022, on October 19. The bill was accepted by the unanimous vote of 42 members present at a sitting on September 28. The same day, it was forwarded to the Judiciary Committee for consideration.

The bill has been publicized in the government gazette, upon ratification.

The bill stipulates revisions to the rules governing disciplinary proceedings carried out by the Bar Council of the Maldives, the guidelines on formulating the council’s budget and spending and the mandatory training for lawyer license applicants.

With the ratification of the bill, Sections 31(d), (e), and 31-1(e) have been repealed and a new section has been added to the act under Section 53.

Further, the revisions in the act go on to allow temporarily licensed lawyers to apply for permanent permits without having to undertake the bar exam.