The People's Majlis, Maldives' unicameral parliament, is receiving public opinion on the proposed 'legal professions' law.

The Majlis secretariat this week said that any concerns, recommendations, or opinion on the bill should be sent to mail address: [email protected]

The ‘legal professions’ bill was proposed by MP Imthiyaz Fahmy, who said that the bill is aimed at separating the judiciary from legal professions, so as to make the functioning of each more efficient and independent.

The bill proposes that individuals licensed to practice law in the Maldives be regulated by a ‘bar association’, which is also authorized to grant licenses to graduates and penalize lawyers.

Criteria to grant law licenses, as proposed:

• The individual should have acquired at least an undergraduate degree in law
• Should be 21years-old and of sound mind
• Should not have been convicted of a felony in the past five years
• Should prove proficiency of the law to the bar association

Graduates will take their oath in front a High Court judge and their licenses will only be valid for a period of three years, as proposed in the bill.

The bill proposes that a steering committee be formed within a month of its passing, and that a chair and deputy chair to the committee be elected through votes from practicing lawyers. Members of this committee will hold their position for five years.