President Maia Sandu will not promulgate the recent changes to the Law on Advocacy, adopted at the final session of Parliament. The head of state announced that she has returned the law for further examination, stating that the newly elected Parliament will be responsible for reviewing it.
“Law no. 242/2025, which amends the Law on Advocacy, in the version passed by Parliament, does not offer adequate solutions to the systemic problems facing the legal profession, especially in terms of integrity, transparency, meritocracy, and ensuring effective access to justice for citizens,” President Sandu stated.
She emphasized that the new Parliament must “review the draft law through dialogue with legal professionals, civil society, and European partners, and present legislation that guarantees the independence of the legal profession.”
“A genuine reform involves the institutional modernization of the Bar Association to ensure greater transparency, efficiency, and adherence to the principles of the rule of law. It must promote meritocracy and equal access to the profession while strengthening a functional and impartial system of professional ethics and conduct. The independence of the legal profession must be with responsibility and integrity,” Maia Sandu wrote.
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The Congress of Lawyers of Moldova was held from July 25 to 28. On Monday, July 28, the legal professionals adopted a resolution condemning the way the amendments to the Law on Advocacy were introduced—namely, through a last-minute revision passed during the second reading on July 10, without any consultation with representatives of the legal profession.
According to the lawyers, the amendment alters the governance structure of the legal profession in a way that contradicts international standards on legal practice, which the Republic of Moldova has committed to uphold.
They also warned that if Maia Sandu had not returned the law to Parliament for reconsideration, they would have escalated their protest into a general strike.