If you want to become a lawyer in Morocco, the rules may soon change. A parliamentary committee has approved a draft law to reform the legal profession after more than eight hours of debate. The bill passed by 16 votes to seven and will now move to the next stage of the legislative process.
The reform looks at how people enter the profession, how lawyers work and how the profession is organised. Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi agreed to several changes suggested by both the ruling parties and the opposition.
One update focuses on ethics. The new wording says lawyers must work with independence, integrity, fairness and respect.
MPs also agreed to raise the maximum age to join the profession from 40 to 45. This will allow experienced legal professionals from other fields to become lawyers later in their careers.
Another change blocks anyone convicted of financial crimes or forgery from joining the profession, even if they were later cleared.
The time limit to apply to become a trainee lawyer will double from three to six months after getting the required certificate. MPs said new graduates often struggle with paperwork and costs.
University law professors will keep special access to the profession. Those with eight years of experience after becoming full professors will not need the training certificate or internship. But they must still spend one year working in a law firm after leaving their academic job. The previous age limit of 55 has been removed.
Lawyers will also be able to argue cases before the Court of Cassation after 10 years of experience instead of 12.
The head of the committee said the bill reshapes how the profession works, from entry rules to elections and discipline.
In total, MPs proposed 493 changes. The government accepted about 50 of them, including several major ones.
