The Forthcoming European Convention for the Protection of Lawyers: Challenges and Perspectives

Abstract

In recognizing the need to “defend the defenders”, the Council of Europe has recently adopted its landmark Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer. This first-ever binding international instrument marks a historical development in the efforts to safeguard a profession often disregarded in comparison with other legal professions. The focus of this paper lies in presenting and analyzing the main provisions of the Convention, the motivations, and, in particular, the novelties it brings compared to existing soft law. A section is dedicated to the Albanian case and how prepared its legislation is to embrace the Convention’s standards. The paper concludes that the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer offers significant guarantees for the safe practice of lawyers, whose protagonism in the justice system is subject to pressure and attacks from both individuals and governments. Notably, due to the Convention’s extended scope, the same guarantees are provided to lawyers’ associations, lawyer candidates, legal assistants, and some international representatives. The swift entry into force of the Convention is welcome, and with virtually no place for reservations, there should be no challenges to the Convention’s full implementation.

Received: 20 April 2025 / Accepted: 2 June 2025 / Published: 25 June 2025