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  <%-- Page Title--%> Issue No 150 <%-- End Page Title--%>  

July 25, 2004 

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Your Advocate

This week your advocate is M. Moazzam Husain of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. His professional interests include civil law, criminal law and constitutional law.

Q: I have taken my LL.M. from a university in Bangladesh and have already joined the Bar. I want to become a successful lawyer and that has been my cherished dream. After joining the Bar I find dearth of seniors having positive attitude towards the juniors. The days of senior-junior relationship seems to have gone by. Bar is pervaded by chaos and free-style. The mutual respect and time honored values are fast declining. Success as lawyer seems no more destined for those who are lawyers of integrity, industry and knowledge. Success at least in terms of money is much more destined for lawyers having party affiliations. They wait for their parties to come to power and make fortune once for all. They are also taking upper hand in Bar politics and are being elected presidents, secretaries etc. thereby flourishing their practice. The lawyers doing no politics and only engaged in the profession in its traditional sense and expecting to succeed at the same time seems to be sidelined and often neglected from every corner. Is this not a very discouraging situation for one who wants to become a lawyer by dint of his merit? Are the days for practicing law in its ideal form gone? Sir, can I hope to survive in my pursuit to fight through all the odds and succeed one day? I expect your comments.
Anik Mahmood, Wari, Dhaka.

Your Advocate: I have replied to many queries that came in over the years. Some of them seemed to be difficult but never impossible for a reply. This time I am inwardly feeling devoid of any. This may be for two reasons. Firstly, the questions you have asked are essentially a depiction of the disappointing state of affairs now prevailing at the Bar and in fact no question is asked touching upon any legal issue and secondly, the answer is something we all are struggling to know.

Be that as it may, as a lawyer apparently much senior to you I certainly owe you an explanation, though, I am afraid, I have none. The present state of the Bar is clearly articulated in your words. I don't think that anybody at the Bar can deny any word of it. There is quite dearth of seniors at every single Bar. The reason is not far to seek. A lawyer comes to an attainment after long years of practice. Moreover, mere length of practice does not make anybody a senior. It is, therefore, understandable that number of seniors cannot keep pace with the number of juniors joining the Bar every year. Except the ones you have indicated the true seniors, besides being overburdened with juniors, also are fed up with the declining trend of things and are found skeptical about the true intention of the juniors, that is, whether they are coming to learn and then earn or earn only by any means. So seniors cannot be expected to welcome a new entrant at the outset. The junior must show his bona fide as a lawyer of high potentials. Let me quote from a book titled "Bar On Trial" edited by Robert Hazell-"The responsibility for finding pupilage falls entirely on the would-be pupil, who must obtain introductions to potential pupilmasters and then go to see them to find out if they can accept him as a pupil."

The question of success at the Bar is a big question everywhere across the globe. None can possibly adequately address the same. There is no short cut to or straightjacket theory of success at the Bar. Neither higher degrees nor the brilliant academic career by themselves can lead anyone to success. Of course, they can pave the way to success. Success is the result of many factors harmoniously inter-played. One thing may be said in common that is-for success one needs to have tenacity of purpose, perseverance and last but not the least, is a high degree of integrity. These should be enough in normal and healthy situations. In the present day reality you have to add to the above one new attribute, that is, infallible endurance and nerve to fight through the odds and adversities.

Politics and lawyers are in a sense interrelated. History of the Bar is the history of politics. We are proud of our political traditions. But politicization of the Bar has seriously told upon our rich heritage particularly in terms of unity, integrity and progress of learning and gradual emergence as good lawyers. It has spelt a negative impact on the judiciary also. Still you have to build up your career and materialize your dream. Commitment is the thing that counts. As for me I have never seen a lawyer working with sincerity and commitment didn't have come to standing at the Bar at a point of time. So, without bothering much about the surroundings, which you cannot correct, you must sail through. Success can only be delayed not prevented.


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