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Despite sustained opposition from lawyers, Morocco’s House of Representatives approved on Monday draft Law No. 66.23 regulating the legal profession, passing the revised legislation on second reading after introducing amendments to its provisions.
The bill was approved after the parliamentary majority voted against requests put forward by opposition blocs, with 85 votes in support and 35 against it. The House also adopted two amendments proposed by Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi related to Articles 77 and 131 of the bill.
Article 77, which governs the settlement of funds held in deposit and payment accounts, was approved by 115 lawmakers, with two abstentions. The amendment removes the phrase “allocated to the management costs of the aforementioned account” from the provision allowing the Bar Council to deduct a portion of lawyers’ fees settled under Article 77.
The deduction remains fixed at 10% of the fees concerned. It also strikes out the final paragraph of the same article.
Meanwhile, Article 131, relating to the eligibility requirements for membership of the Bar Council, removes the phrase “whether consecutive or non-consecutive” from the provision stating that candidates must not have previously served as Bar Association president or as a Council member for two terms.
The House of Representatives also approved, by majority vote, the remaining provisions of the bill in the version amended by the House of Councillors.
House Speaker Rachid Talbi Alami announced the approval of the revised bill.
The legislation was also reorganized, with its provisions renumbered from Article 76 to 147, and cross-references within the text updated before being referred to the House of Councillors to complete the legislative process.
The Association of Moroccan Bar Associations had previously announced that the protests would continue, arguing that the consultations preceding the bill’s drafting failed to address its main demands.
Lawyers contend that the legislation undermines the professions’s instituitional independence and the autonomy of bar associations.
They have also criticized the government for pushing the bill forward without reaching a consensus with representatives of the profession.
Meanwhile, Ouahbi said he “couldn’t be more pleased when legislation of this kind sparks such widespread debate and public interest.”
