One hundred years since the adoption of the Law on Attorneys. The parliamentary debate on the draft Law on Attorneys

Abstract

The article examines the course and distinctive features of the parliamentary debate surrounding the draft Law on Attorneys, characterized by its professional discourse and constructive tone. Particular attention is devoted to the approach and determination demonstrated by Minister Tsv. Boboshevski, the rapporteur Dr. Al. Staliyski, and the presiding chairman Dr. B. Vazov to defend specific provisions and to preserve the spirit and fundamental principles enshrined in the draft, with the argument that these were conceived by, or enjoyed the support of, the legal community.
The study foregrounds the principal issues that captured the deputies’ attention and provoked lively controversy and debate. Among these were: the right of lawyer – members of parliament to continue the practice of their profession during parliamentary sessions; the required duration of the internship for candidate attorneys; the legislative recognition of women jurists’ demands to be admitted to the legal profession; the provision stipulating that only attorneys with a minimum of five years of practice may appear before the Supreme Court of Cassation; the permissible age for members of the Bar Council to hold office; and the question of whether acts committed by an individual prior to admission to the bar may be subject to limitation.
The author emphasizes the categorical rejection of claims suggesting that a lawyer-deputy could exert undue influence upon the judiciary, as well as the firm and reasoned defense of the reputation and authority of the Bulgarian legal profession.
The analysis supports the conclusion that the adoption of the Law on Attorneys in 1925 represented an undisputed professional and societal achievement for the Union of Bulgarian Attorneys – an accomplishment comparable to its struggle against the legislation of the Agrarian government and its steadfast defense of the economic and social interests of attorneys in the subsequent years. The new law established the legal profession upon its natural foundations and marked the beginning of its development as a valuable and dignified auxiliary to the administration of justice and as a significant actor