The Beirut Bar Association is the association encompassing the lawyers mandatorily registered in its bar roll, to whom the law restricted the right to represent and plead before courts and achieve the mission of justice by revealing legal opinion and depending the rights, pursuant to the provisions of the Law on the Organization of the Profession of Law No. 70/8 with it amendments and to the bylaws of the Bar and the Regulation of the Profession’s Ethics.

Introduction

The Beirut Bar Association is the association encompassing the lawyers mandatorily registered in its bar roll, to whom the law restricted the right to represent and plead before courts and achieve the mission of justice by revealing legal opinion and depending the rights, pursuant to the provisions of the Law on the Organization of the Profession of Law No. 70/8 with it amendments and to the bylaws of the Bar and the Regulation of the Profession’s Ethics.

The Beirut Bar was established pursuant to the decision of the General Administrative Governor No. 192 issued on February 6th, 1919. The decision provided for organizing the profession of law among its current members and those applying to enter this independent corps. It also ordered the formation of an administrative committee for the Bar Association at the Court of Appeals, whereby it would be comprised of a chair and four members.

The Beirut Bar plays two major roles:

• A professional role by safeguarding the rights of the lawyers, their immunities and their guarantees in order to secure the sacred right of defense.

• A national role that renders the Bar Association the conscience of the nation, as it is keen on implementing the Constitution, principles of democracy and public freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.

Therefore, the Bar demands that it have the right to approach the Constitutional Council to challenge any law contradicting with the provisions of the Constitution, and that the Bar be consulted when elaborating new draft laws and amendments to existing laws.

The lawyers are present in the committees of updating the laws, in arbitration bodies, Arab and foreign legal conferences and in Arab and international lawyers associations. They have a remarkable and influential presence.

All we ask and aspire for is for this Bar to remain among the top opinion leaders in Lebanon and among the leading fighters for the independence and progress of Lebanon. It shall remain the leading holder of the banner of the law, public freedoms and human rights. These matters gain significance with the role of the youth in the Bar, starting with the interns who have to absorb the secrets, history, traditions, norms, rules and regulations of the profession to maintain the leading role of this Bar. They should set as their goal a saying by the renowned French President of the Bar, Robert, “I view the profession of law as permanent internship.”