The Council of Europe’s Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer has now been formally launched. The convention is an international instrument dedicated to protecting the freedom and independence of the global legal profession. Its adoption is a landmark achievement and will strengthen the ability of lawyers to carry out their professional duties free from threats, attack, interference or reprisals. The UK is one of 17 countries that have signed the convention so far.
Chair of the Bar Council’s international committee, Hugh Mercer KC, said: “The Bar Council has been involved in supporting the development of the Convention for more than three years. We are delighted states have started to sign up to support the Convention and we very much welcome the UK government’s support as a signatory. We will be suggesting to colleagues around the world that they lobby their governments to apply to sign this open-source treaty.
“This is the first treaty of its kind, and the Bar Council successfully secured agreement to ensure the Convention recognises the cab rank rule. It is a timely development that provides both new opportunities to campaign for lawyers’ safety and offers additional protections for lawyers to be able to carry out their work.”