Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman has urged aspiring lawyers to focus on developing professional skill rather than chasing money to succeed in the legal profession.
He made the appeal as chief guest at a felicitation program held Friday, August 28, at the University of Asia Pacific (UAP) auditorium in the capital, honoring UAP law graduates who passed the Bangladesh Bar Council enrollment examination.
The law minister said: “To succeed as a lawyer, one must focus on developing professional skill rather than chasing money. Instead of trying to get rich quickly through corruption or shortcuts, one must build oneself into a model lawyer through merit, honesty, ethics and hard work.”
He said one of the main purposes of making the Bangladesh Bar Council’s enrollment examination transparent and rigorous is to ensure entry into the legal profession is based on merit and qualification. Those who passed this exam and received their certification as lawyers, he said, reached this position through their own merit and qualification — not through anyone’s favor or sympathy.
Addressing the new lawyers, Md Asaduzzaman said: “There is no room for nepotism in the enrollment examination. There are even examples of enrollment committee members’ own children failing the exam. So new lawyers should trust their own merit and qualification and move forward in their professional lives. Establishing oneself in the legal profession requires a great deal of hard work at the start. Even though work and pay may be limited early in one’s career, one must work with patience. As experience grows, so will the scope of work and compensation. So instead of chasing money at the start of a professional career, one should focus on becoming a competent lawyer.”
Emphasizing professional ethics for lawyers, the law minister said: “One should not try to acquire wealth quickly through corruption or shortcuts. A lawyer must build their standing through merit, honesty, ethics and hard work.”
Highlighting the importance of the professional relationship with clients, he said: “A client is a client. One must maintain a professional relationship with clients and uphold the dignity of the profession.”
The law minister further said: “A lawyer’s responsibility is not limited to handling cases in exchange for money. Ensuring that helpless and poor people have access to justice is also a social and professional responsibility of lawyers.”
He urged lawyers to try to handle some cases for the underprivileged free of charge, alongside paid casework.
Recounting an incident from his own career as a lawyer, the minister said: “Not everything about lawyers should be judged by a financial yardstick. Lawyers must also play a role in standing by people and ensuring justice.”
Emphasizing regular study and legal practice for young lawyers, the law minister said: “There is a daily opportunity to learn in the legal profession. The more one studies, the more knowledge and skill one can acquire. In particular, lawyers must study regularly to develop professional skills, including strong drafting ability.”
He said that although the country has a large number of lawyers, there is not adequate provision for their professional training. He said the government is moving toward establishing training arrangements to build lawyers’ skills, and that necessary steps will be taken to make the legal profession more dignified and skills-based.
The law minister further said: “In the days ahead, we need to build a legal community where the legal profession becomes more dignified in people’s eyes because of education, merit, skill, honesty and ethics. Lawyers should prepare themselves so they can attain the capability to lead society and the state.”
Special guests at the event included UAP Board of Trustees Chairman KM Mojibul Haque, UAP acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Mohiuddin Ahmed Bhuiyan, and School of Law acting Dean Professor Dr. M.A. Baki Khalili. The event was chaired by Dr. Nur-E-Madina Suraiya Jesmin, assistant professor and chair of UAP’s Department of Law and Human Rights.
At the end of the event, UAP law graduates who passed the Bangladesh Bar Council enrollment examination were honored. University faculty, students, honored graduates and invited guests attended.