The new Bar Association Code was presented to the cabinet by Justice Minister Georgios Floridis and Deputy Minister Ioannis Bougas. Under the new legislation, bar exams will be administered by a dedicated and independent Central Examination Committee, while a mandatory internship period of 18 months total will be introduced. The internship must include experience across two distinct categories of institutions: on one hand, courts, Legal Council of the State services, or government ministries, and on the other, law firms or legal partnerships.
Additionally, a rebuttable presumption in favor of a salaried retainer relationship will be established for lawyers who appear as associates and issue service invoices, when the actual conditions of their collaboration closely resemble a salaried employment arrangement. Among the determining criteria will be the payment of a fixed monthly fee. For associate lawyers under Article 44, termination of their contract will entitle them to compensation equal to one-third of the severance pay to which a salaried lawyer would be entitled.
Professional advancement system to be overhauled
The professional advancement system is also being overhauled. Promotion will no longer depend solely on years of practice, but will also require completion of mandatory training seminars and demonstrated courtroom experience.
Promotion to the rank of Court of Appeals attorney will require five appearances before Courts of First Instance, while further advancement will require a total of ten appearances before Courts of Appeal. A separate procedure will be established for appearances before the Supreme Court, with a distinct joint procedure applying to the Council of State and the Court of Audit.
The existing system of incompatibilities will be largely retained; however, a temporary suspension option of up to two years will be introduced for lawyers who enter into an employment contract in either the public or private sector.
Furthermore, lawyers will be permitted to manage inherited assets — including through short-term rentals or subsidized agricultural activities — without this automatically resulting in the loss of their professional status.
