Bahrain has enacted Law No. 24 of 2026 issuing a new Advocacy Law, replacing the Attorney Law introduced by Legislative Decree No. 26 of 1980. The new law was issued on 18 June 2026 and published in Official Gazette No. 3889, completing a reform process described during parliamentary consideration as one of the most extensive overhauls of the profession in decades. The 68-article reform package was developed to update professional standards, strengthen client protection and align legal practice with Bahrain’s judicial and economic development.
Measures described during the legislative process included mandatory professional indemnity insurance, dedicated professional bank accounts separate from lawyer’s personal accounts, and mechanisms for confirming that lawyers recorded as practising are undertaking active legal work. The package also provided a more structured route for trainees, including a two-year apprenticeship, formal training and a qualifying examination, as well as conditions for lawyers returning after a lengthy absence.
It addressed the participation of non-Bahraini lawyers in specified commercial matters alongside licensed Bahraini counsel and introduced rules governing contingency fees. The reform therefore reaches admission, training, practice management, consumer protection and cross-border expertise within a single modernised statutory framework.