Lawyer's Day in Azerbaijan (28/12)

On December 28, Azerbaijan celebrates Lawyer's Day. The decree establishing this professional holiday was signed by the President of the country I. Aliyev December 25, 2019.

The Azerbaijani Bar celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019. In July 1919, the Bar Association of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was actually created. The lawyers included in its composition took an active part in resolving issues of the formation of the statehood of the young Republic, the formation of its judicial system and the principles of the legal profession.

The transfer of power to the Revolutionary Committee and the entry of Azerbaijan into the USSR actually interrupted the full development of the legal system in the Republic. For some time, the legal profession ceased to exist altogether. Certain changes in the judicial system and advocacy occurred after the adoption of the 1978 Constitution, but at that time it is impossible to talk about the emergence of a full-fledged independent judiciary and the legal system.

With the independence of Azerbaijan, a new judicial system began to take shape. Together with the independent judiciary, the legal profession of the Republic also developed. An important stage in its formation was the Decree of President G. Aliyeva «On lawyers and advocacy», which was published in 1999, according to which an independent legal profession was established in the country. In November 2004, the Bar Association of the Republic of Azerbaijan was established.

Since 2017, the Azerbaijani legal system has been going through a period of important reforms related to saturating the country with qualified lawyers, reorganizing payments to lawyers providing services to low-income citizens and families, and developing infrastructure through increasing the number of law firms and bureaus. The main task is to increase the availability of legal services for the general population and increase the authority of the legal profession among citizens.

The issue of establishing a professional holiday has been raised among lawyers more than once. In 2018, the Bar Association of the Republic of Azerbaijan even began to promote this issue at the official level. The Presidential Decree establishing «Lawyer Day» became a long-awaited and joyful event, marked by a letter of gratitude from the Azerbaijan Bar Association.

A good start to the formation of a good tradition of celebrating a professional holiday was the provision of free legal assistance to low-income citizens by law firms on this day.

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