73 New Lawyers Admitted to the Bar
The Bar Council of the Maldives (BCM) held a special ceremony to welcome new lawyers and commemorate the country’s first bar examination.
At the ceremony, which took place on February 20, 2023, in Dharubaaruge, 73 new lawyers were officially admitted to the bar. Members of the executive committee, both present and former, as well as cabinet ministers, judges, experienced attorneys, legal academics, and BCM’s development partners, all attended the occasion.
Uz. Ismail Wisham, President of the BCM, delivered the welcome speech. In his remarks he emphasized on the historical significance of the bar exam for the Bar Council and the Maldives legal community and offered advice to those just entering the field on respecting their ethical obligations. The mission director of USAID, Mr. Gabriel Grau, expressed appreciation for the exam’s successful implementation and the importance USAID places on promoting the rule of law in the Maldives. In a special statement delivered through recorded message, ABA President Deborah Enix-Ross congratulated all new lawyers on reaching this significant milestone and stressed the importance of staying up to date on legal developments.
The oath-taking ceremony followed the key addresses. The oath was administered by High Court Justice Al-Ustaz Hussain Mazeed, which was followed by the presentation of practicing licenses to new entrants. Lawyers who received their Special Licensing Training Program (SLTP) licenses in 2020 was also presented with permanent practicing licenses at the ceremony. The licenses to practice were presented by Dr. Ibrahim Hassan, Minister for Higher Education, Uz. Maumoon Hameed, First President of the Bar Council, Mr. Gabriel Grau, Mission Director for USAID, and Uza. Humadha Ahmed, Head of Office for American Bar Association, Maldives Rule of Law Initiative.
During the ceremony special recognition awards was presented in five categories;
- Top Achiever Awards, for those with outstanding results in the first Bar Exam;
- Institutional Service Appreciation Award, presented to the development partners and institutions who contributed to strengthening rule of law and access to justice in the Maldives through supporting the Bar Exam;
- Excellence Awards, awarded to the three persons who scored First Place in the inaugural Bar Exam;
- Extraordinary Service Award, for those individuals without whose dedication, expertise and contributions the Bar Exam could not have been achieved;
- Service Appreciation Award, presented to the institutions, lawyers, judges and legal academics who volunteered to support the Bar Exam through giving lectures, developing reading lists and practice questions, and developing items.
In his remarks, the Honorable Chief Justice Uz. Ahmed Muthasim Adnan congratulated new applicants on their success and noted that practicing law was a significant social responsibility and that client service must be valued. He emphasized the value of upholding the law’s fundamental principles, moral obligations, and the lawyer’s responsibility. He also emphasized the value of continuing education and professional development and the contribution lawyers make to society. He praised and thanked the Bar Council for the historic accomplishment and the international partners for their help and support in ensuring that the Maldives fulfilled a crucial mandate under the Legal Profession Act as he concluded his speech (LPA).
We at Maldives Law Weekly, congratulates the new lawyers on their admission to the Bar and wish you all great success in your carriers