Dominican Republic has more than a lawyer per km2
The Chief Justice of the SCJ defends the legislative proposal to regulate practice of law
Federico Méndez
SANTO DOMINGO. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Justice and the chairman of the Council on the Judicial Power, Mariano German Mejia, revealed that at the present time the Dominican Republic there are more than one lawyer for every square kilometer of territory.
The magistrate estimated that with the newly sworn-in lawyers at the SCJ over the last few months, there are 53,000 lawyers, which is one lawyer for each 178 inhabitants.
As he spoke on the panel titled "An Analysis of the legislative proposal on the practice of law and notary public in the Dominican Republic", organized by the dean of the Law School at the Catholic University of Santo Domingo, he said that he felt that the way people look at the legal profession has caused a notorious overpopulation in the universities, exorbitantly multiplying the number and reducing, at the same time, the quality of the service over the last decades. German Mejia cited a series of factors that cause this situation, such as less preparation, because of the national educational crisis. More universities offering the degree in law, with no type of control and to which they (the student) are only present occasionally.
He also said that there are also more lawyers per inhabitant and per square kilometer, less ethics, as a consequence of the loss of values that each day is more notorious. "There is an absence of norms that facilitate corrective punishments for poor work in the practice of the profession," he said. He noted that these are, definitely, the causes that justify modifications in the system of training and in the access to the practice of the legal profession.
He made it clear that it is enough to mention several cases in which the First Chamber and the Plenary of the high court, declared the petitions of the plaintiffs as inadmissible, because the briefs were so confusing and lacking that they were not able to be considered. He cited the fact that the deficiency in the preparation also has been seen in the Competitions for Candidates for Justices of the Peace which are organized by the Judicial Branch.
German Mejia specified that from 2001 until now, there have been 4,725 applications and barely 248 have managed to get through the process. "Statistically speaking we are looking at 5.2%." he said that at the present time the law profession is one of the most popular at the universities and demanded by the most students.
The magistrate estimated that with the newly sworn-in lawyers at the SCJ over the last few months, there are 53,000 lawyers, which is one lawyer for each 178 inhabitants.
As he spoke on the panel titled "An Analysis of the legislative proposal on the practice of law and notary public in the Dominican Republic", organized by the dean of the Law School at the Catholic University of Santo Domingo, he said that he felt that the way people look at the legal profession has caused a notorious overpopulation in the universities, exorbitantly multiplying the number and reducing, at the same time, the quality of the service over the last decades. German Mejia cited a series of factors that cause this situation, such as less preparation, because of the national educational crisis. More universities offering the degree in law, with no type of control and to which they (the student) are only present occasionally.
He also said that there are also more lawyers per inhabitant and per square kilometer, less ethics, as a consequence of the loss of values that each day is more notorious. "There is an absence of norms that facilitate corrective punishments for poor work in the practice of the profession," he said. He noted that these are, definitely, the causes that justify modifications in the system of training and in the access to the practice of the legal profession.
He made it clear that it is enough to mention several cases in which the First Chamber and the Plenary of the high court, declared the petitions of the plaintiffs as inadmissible, because the briefs were so confusing and lacking that they were not able to be considered. He cited the fact that the deficiency in the preparation also has been seen in the Competitions for Candidates for Justices of the Peace which are organized by the Judicial Branch.
German Mejia specified that from 2001 until now, there have been 4,725 applications and barely 248 have managed to get through the process. "Statistically speaking we are looking at 5.2%." he said that at the present time the law profession is one of the most popular at the universities and demanded by the most students.
Federico Méndez
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