Bar Council to levy new fees on lawyers as revenue measure
The council has allowed open brainstorming on the fee schedules released by the council till 3 pm on 25 December.
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With the budget allocated to the Bar Council reduced, the council has invited suggestions on charging fresh fees from lawyers to raise funds to run the council.
MVR 3 million has been allocated to the bar council in the upcoming budget.
The council said in a notification on Tuesday that the budget was not sufficient to fulfil the responsibilities assigned to the council under the law. Therefore, the Bar Council is in the process of raising MVR 4.5 million to meet the expenses of the Council. Thus, the council has stated:
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Fees to be charged for the next financial year are open for consideration
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The schedule also includes levying new fees that are not charged from lawyers at present
The Bar Council has decided to revise the fees charged for renewal of permission of lawyers from June 2024.
Thus:
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Advocates who are allowed to practice in the Supreme Court will pay MVR 7,000 per annum
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MVR 5,000 per annum from advocates who are allowed to practice in the High Court
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Advocates who are not allowed to practice in higher courts will be charged MVR 3,000 per annum.
The Bar Council is also considering making it mandatory for lawyers to pay a fee for renewal of permission and to complete a certain amount of training in the areas designated by the Bar Council. The council also said that it will collect fees from the trainings.
The council has allowed open brainstorming on the fee schedules released by the council till 3 pm on 25 December.
The bar council also said:
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That under the Legal Profession Act, several ways have been laid down to raise funds for the running of the council
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However, renewal of fees charged to renew permissions of lawyers with maximum income will be mandatory in June 2024, five years after the law came into force
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The council is expected to generate revenue of MVR 2 million from its services next year
