India’s Ministry of Law and Justice has announced the release of the Draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill 2026 for stakeholder and public consultation. The draft was prepared in consultation with the Bar Council of India, which placed the text on its official website on 18 July 2026. The consultation invited members of the profession, institutions, interested…
Bahrain adopts new Advocacy Law for the legal profession
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…
Hong Kong strengthens trainee solicitor registration disclosures
The Law Society of Hong Kong has outlined proposed enhancements to the registration framework for trainee solicitor contracts, centred on revisions to the Application for Registration of Trainee Solicitor Contract, or Form AA. The current form requires disclosure of matters including criminal convictions, disciplinary offences at educational institutions and bankruptcy proceedings. The revised form would…
Ireland reports growth in professional entry and demand for flexible pathways
Ireland’s Legal Services Regulatory Authority has published its seventh annual Pathways to the Professions report, recording growth in both entry to professional training and qualification as a solicitor or barrister during 2025. The figures show that 581 trainee solicitors and 139 student barristers began professional training, increases of 7 per cent and 16 per cent…
Cayman ruling clarifies limits of Legal Services Act transition
In Re: Phang Ling San [2026] CIGC (Misc) 1, the Cayman Islands Grand Court refused an application for general admission as an attorney-at-law under the Legal Services Act 2020, notwithstanding the applicant’s substantial experience and professional standing. The applicant was admitted in Malaysia, had more than 13 years experience in banking and finance law and…
Germany reinforces foreign ownership ban in tax advisory market
The latest reform of the German Tax Advisory Act (Steuerberatungsgesetz, StBerG), adopted in June 2026, fundamentally reshapes third-party investment in the German tax advisory market, tightening existing rules by extending professional eligibility requirements beyond direct shareholders to the entire ownership chain, thus introducing a full “look‑through” system. Any direct or indirect change in ownership must now be reported immediately, enabling regulators to detect and challenge non‑compliant structures…
Spanish Bar backs social security transition route for lawyers on mutual schemes
Spain’s General Council of the Bar has backed a proposed “gateway” into RETA, the country’s public social-security regime for self-employed workers. The reform would give lawyers and other professionals who have paid into alternative professional mutual societies a route to move into the public system, allowing them accumulated economic rights to be recognised for social-security benefits and…
International legal organisations condemn attacks on Tunisia’s legal profession
A group of 40 international legal and human rights organisations has condemned what it describes as escalating attacks on Tunisia’s legal profession, judiciary and civil society. The statement refers to a wider pattern of intimidation, obstruction and retaliation against lawyers, judges, the Tunisian National Bar Association (ONAT), magistrates’ associations and independent civil society organisations. The organisations argue that interference with the…
German Federal Bar reports on professional rules, AI and protection of the legal profession
The German Federal Bar, Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer (BRAK), has reported on the latest meeting of the lawyers’ self-regulatory assembly, Die Satzungsversammlung. The meeting adopted amendments to specialist lawyer rules and considered ongoing professional issues including conflicts of interest, continuing training, confidentiality, data protection and artificial intelligence. The meeting also addressed the protection of the legal profession, following Germany’s signature of the Council of…
Singapore Ministry of Law responds to Legal Profession Sustainability Study
Singapore’s Ministry of Law has issued a statement responding to the release of The Legal Profession Sustainability Study. The Ministry said the study raises important issues across the legal profession, including organisational and practice-related stress points, the economic realities of legal practice, wellbeing and the long-term sustainability of legal careers. The Ministry noted that the Law Society has set…