Who is a lawyer?
Basically in the context of Bangladesh, the advocates are also called as lawyer. Every lawyer must have to obtain permission from the concerned authority in order to practice as a lawyer before the court. In order to use the title as ‘lawyer’, a law graduate, apprentice or pupil, barrister, or solicitor, the attorney must have to obtain the license from the concerned authority.
Who is an Advocate?
An advocate is a legal practitioner. He is an agent of his client and an officer of the court at the same time. An advocate has a responsibility to his client as well as to the court.
From 1972 Advocates are being enrolled and regulated under the provisions of the Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Order of 1972 and Rules made there under. The Bangladesh Bar Council has been constituted under the said Order with the elected representatives of the advocates, and with the Attorney General of Bangladesh as its ex-officio chairman. Bangladesh Bar Council grants licence to duly qualified persons to practice law either before the subordinate courts or before the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.
Advocacy as the most challenging profession
Advocacy is one of the most challenging professions where thousands of people compete with each other to give their best to make someone smile. Besides that, it is one of those professions where one can make his fortune with his knowledge and skill. As a result, this profession attracts a lot of people, who dream to be an advocate and join with the learners.
Types of a lawyer in Bangladesh
In terms of enrollment, there are some types of Advocates now existing in Bangladesh and practicing law either before the subordinate courts or before the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.
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Advocates to the Subordinate Court:
They are entitled to practice in all the Subordinate Courts of Bangladesh only;
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Advocates to the High Court Division:
They have the right to practice in the High Court Division and all the subordinate courts of Bangladesh;
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Advocates on record:
They are entitled to practice before the Appellate Division. A senior Advocate or any other Advocate in the Appellate Division can plead in any appeal only under the instruction of an Advocate-on-Record. No case can be filed in the Appellate Division without engaging an Advocate-on-Record;
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Senior Advocate:
According to Rule 11 of Order IV of the Appellate Division Rules, 1988, the Chief Justice and the judges may, on the application or otherwise, select, from time to time, from among those whose names are on the Roll of the Advocates, persons who are judged, by their knowledge, ability and experience, to be worthy of being granted the status of Senior advocate and on signing the Roll of Senior Advocates shall assume the said status. A senior advocate cannot be enrolled as Advocate-on-Record (Rule 16);
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Advocates to the Appellate Division:
According to Rule 3 of Order IV of the Appellate Division Rules, 1988 a person may be appointed as an Advocate to the Appellate Division who has practiced in the High Court Division as an Advocate for a period of not less than five years. A person who is not enrolled in the Appellate Division may appear with special permission.
Bangladesh Bar Council, a statutory authority, is the sole authority to arrange the enrollment procedure and then certify a person as an advocate with the permission to practice in any lower court in Bangladesh. They have fixed some criteria and some procedures which must be followed to be an advocate in Bangladesh which includes and requires educational qualification, internship, certain moral standard, contract with a senior lawyer, submission of various documents and forms, payment, and lastly, a three-step examination process.
Qualifications to become a lawyer of the Subordinate Court
According to article 27 of The Bangladesh Legal Practitioner’s and Bar Council Order, 1972, a person shall be qualified to be admitted as an advocate if he fulfills the following conditions, namely:-
- The Person must be a citizen of Bangladesh;
- He must complete the age of twenty-one years;
- (i) He had obtained a degree in law from any university situated within the territory which forms part of Bangladesh; or
[Note: 4-years LL. B (Hon’s) or 2 years LL.B pass the course (must have completed before 2018 because now these 2 years pass the course is not allowed anymore) from any approved university of Bangladesh]
(ii) Any similar foreign course can be accepted with the clear permission given by the Bangladesh Bar Council; or
(iii) A bachelor’s degree in law from any university outside Bangladesh recognized by the Bar Council;
- The applicant has to undergo pupilage for a period of 6 (six) months under a practicing Advocate of at least 10 years standing in the profession;
- He has passed such examination as may be prescribed by the Bar Council;
- He has paid such enrolment fee and fulfills such other conditions as may be specified in the rules made by the bar council.
Disqualifications to become a lawyer
According to article 27 of The Bangladesh Legal Practitioner’s and Bar Council Order, 1972, a person shall be disqualified to be admitted as an advocate if-
- he was dismissed from service of Government or of a public statutory corporation on a charge involving moral turpitude unless a period of two years has elapsed since his dismissal; or
- he has been convicted for an offense involving moral turpitude, unless a period of five years or such less period as the Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify in this behalf, had elapsed from the date of the expiration of the sentence.
The career of a Law student
A law career is the most prestigious career in the world. Those who are studying law are probably referred to as a lawyer by friends and family on a regular basis. In fact, many students choose to get a law degree to pursue a career as an advocate. However, being a lawyer is only one of the many things a law graduate can do. In Bangladesh, a law graduate has great career prospects.
The main problem in this career is that we have to struggle hard in the early stage of a legal career. When we will gather a few experiences in this profession we will start loving our profession. So patience is most important in this field.
Another most important thing in this field is that we should not look for money in the early stage of this legal profession. Instead of looking for money, we should start looking for experience. If we gather experience money will come automatically.
Here’s a list of professions we can choose as a law graduate:
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Lawyer
In order to start our career as a lawyer, we will need to get through the Bar enrollment exam.
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Judge
An extremely coveted legal profession for fresh graduates is the job of a judge. As a starting judge, a graduate will need to appear for the Bangladesh Judicial Service exam. Every year, large groups of law students appear for this highly competitive exam and very few are selected.
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Academician/researcher
If a law graduate finds genuine interest in extensive legal reading and research, he may have great opportunities in legal academia. The most popular option within academia would be one of a law teacher, but this isn’t the only choice. He may choose to work with national and international research organizations and can even be an independent researcher.
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Corporate Employee
Most established companies have a dedicated legal branch that regularly hires law graduates. If a law graduate is more comfortable with the corporate branches of law, this is a great option for him.
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Development Work (NGOs)
If a law graduate is passionate about social work, there is a huge range of job prospects in the development sector that he can opt for. Many NGOs work with the legal rights of different classes of people on national and global levels. UN bodies, USAID, BRAC, Bangladesh Legal Aid, and Services Trust, Ain o Salish Kendra are some popular examples.
- Consultant
Almost all establishments need some form of legal advice, and therefore, consultancy is always a great option for law graduates. The attractive part of consultancy is that a law graduate may choose to do it alongside his permanent job. It’s certainly flexible, but a definite level of expertise is expected from consultants.
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Politician
Law and politics are intricately linked, and it is very important for a good politician to have a strong understanding of legal issues. If a person wants to have a direct role in legislative work and policymaking, a law degree will be a huge qualification.
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Journalist
If writing is our strength, we can also opt to pen news articles on legal issues or report on the contemporary legal developments as a journalist. For this job, we must make sure to be updated on current affairs.
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Public interest advocate
If a law graduate feels strongly about the rights of the people and wants a proactive role in bringing about socio-legal reforms, he can be a rights advocate or activist. This profession is extremely fulfilling as it works directly with the people and their struggles.
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Civil servant
As a law graduate, we may opt to pursue a career as a civil servant. While we have to go through rigorous testing in order to qualify, once we get selected, our law degree will give us an upper hand and help us excel.
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Mediator/Negotiator
Mediation, negotiation, and arbitration are a recent but exciting and promising field for law students. If the area sparks our interest, we can expect a challenging and educational experience as a mediator.
These are some of the common career prospects for a law graduate, but the list is far from exhaustive. If a law graduate wants to be innovative, he can even use his legal knowledge to build a career in fields that may not be strictly within the legal arena. A law degree is a great base for many careers, but whatever we choose to do, we should try to measure the pros and cons of it and select a profession that fits our personality, work ethic, and skillsets.
We should assess ourselves instead of limiting ourselves because the possibilities are endless.
Writer: Law for Nations. Email: lawfornations.abm@gmail.com, website: www.lawfornations.com, Mobile: 01842459590.
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