Lawyers make application for second bar association in İstanbul

Photo: AA/File

Click to read the article in Turkish

More than 2,000 lawyers applied to the Union of Bar Associations of Turkey (TTB) to establish a second bar association in İstanbul.

Despite objections and protests from lawyers all across the country, the parliament in mid-July passed a bill allowing multiple bar associations in provinces with more than 5,000 registered attorneys.

According to the law supported by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), at least 2,000 attorneys can establish a bar association.

CLICK - CHP: No new bar associations to be found in İstanbul, Ankara due to insufficient number of signatures 

CLICK - 'If there are multiple bar associations, bars will be politicized'

CLICK - 'Turkey's bill on multiple bars will divide the legal profession along political lines'

The petition of the application was submitted yesterday (September 24) by Lawyers' Association Chair Cavit Tatlı and lawyers Şengül Karslı and Niyazi Paksoy, the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

Tatlı said that they would found the bar despite "all obstacles."a

A total of 2,050 signatures were collected for the new bar association, according to AA.

The lawyers are required to establish the new bar within six weeks after the necessary authorization is obtained.

The Bill on Amendments to the Attorneys' Act and Some Laws was enacted after it was passed in the parliament on July 11 and published in the Official Gazette on July 15.

According to the law, more than one bar association can be founded in provinces with more than 5,000 registered attorneys. A bar association should have at least 2,000 members.

Each bar association in the provinces will be represented by three delegates and a president in the General Assembly of Union of Turkish Bar Associations.

According to the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB), there are 17,598 attorneys registered at Ankara Bar, 46,052 attorneys at İstanbul Bar and 9,612 attorneys at İzmir Bar. The total number of registered attorneys in Turkey is 127,691. Therefore, the new law only affects the bar associations in these three provinces. (EKN/VK)