Action, Modernity, Justice

Future Program for Lawyers

At the level of the Association:

1. Administrative modernizing of the Association and the transition to a digital Association to be used as a model for state administrations;
2. In light of the current tragic situation, which needs sometime to redress, there is a requirement to provide job opportunities for lawyers:
- Activating the mediation law to resolve disputes between individuals, starting with family and collective disputes, and institutions and companies
- Activating internal arbitration and encouraging its use by reducing burdens, expenses, and time, and establishing oversight for arbitral decisions to make the arbitral award non-appealable
- Activating international arbitration and making use of the expertise of lawyers who deal in this field, and creating the mechanisms governing it;
3. Establishing a platform to enable foreign law firms to contract directly with lawyers in Lebanon and to develop mechanisms and the means to carry out their tasks;
4. Following up on the hospitalization file for lawyers and their families, and striving to reduce the cost and burden of subscriptions by resorting to hospitalization or medical treatments, and making the lawyer the first observer of the medical bill;
5. Seeking to increase the retirement of lawyers by providing the appropriate resources;
6. Enhancing the work of the Law Institute to graduate more qualified and competent lawyers;
7. Continuing to follow up on the file of the crime of the century – the Beirut port explosion - and doing everything necessary to support the work of the prosecutor's office in Lebanon and abroad to reach justice and reveal the truth.

At the level of the judiciary

1. Serious follow-up on the issuance of the law on the independence of the judiciary, which constitutes the cornerstone for the establishment of the rule of law;
2. Supporting the judiciary to enforce the law’s provisions fairly on everyone without discrimination;
3. Demanding judicial formations outside sectarian restrictions, based on seniority, competence, incorruptibility, and integrity combined;
4. Supporting the mechanism for reporting any actions related to lawyers that require investigation, as well as the actions and behaviors of judges, their judgments, and judicial measures. All of this is to address what can be dealt with as soon as possible and/or take appropriate measures as per the laws in force;
5. Working with the judiciary to develop the work of the courts, facilitate the procedures and judicial expenses, and put in place draft laws and appropriate regulations that would introduce “digital technology” to the work of the courts and the deficiencies of justice.

As for the national level,

It is not possible to accept any internal or external encroachment, by any means or method, on national sovereignty from any party, because such an infringement undermines justice and the rule of law. We, as men and women who practice law, have to demand tirelessly the actions of international resolutions, and every decision and position that enhances this sovereignty so that the authority of the state remains the only authority that handles national affairs.
The Bar Association is the defender and the impenetrable protector of public liberties, and therefore will be the watchful and vigilant eye to confront legally any encroachment or suppression of these freedoms from any side, because its suppression overthrows democracy and infringes on the constitution, which is the highest of laws.
The savings of the Syndicate and lawyers and the money of depositors in the banks have disappeared due to looting and the continuation of these illegal acts under the phrase “re-formation” or “covering the loss”. Therefore, the Syndicate will confront this systematic and continuous theft, whether by creating pressure on the authority to stop these operations and to submit administrative and judicial reviews to recover the money from the pockets of those who took possession of it and hold them to civil and criminal accountability, even if this requires the establishment of a prosecution office similar to the August 4 port crime office.
Put pressure and submit reviews through the use of all available legal means for criminal audit work in all departments and funds to hold perpetrators and spoilers accountable.
Work to strengthen state institutions and transform them into digital managements, and encourage a culture of recourse to the law and legitimate institutions to resolve any dispute or emergency.
It is a challenging program of work that requires all lawyers to unite and put all their capabilities to strive to build a better homeland that restores rights to its owners and achieves justice. Thus, we build a syndicate whose role is not only to defend the rights of lawyers but rather the watchful eye on the homeland of justice and law.
Ramzi Haykal