The team of lawyers is committed to the common good of society.

After 35 years of establishment and development, the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association has affirmed its position and role in society.

Today, December 27th, the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association is holding a ceremony to celebrate its 35th anniversary. The event is expected to be attended by leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and the Vietnam Bar Association .

Continuously growing stronger

With 68 members since its founding on October 24, 1989, the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association now has 8,300 lawyers working in over 2,000 law firms and 650 lawyers practicing individually. With a number accounting for 40% of the total number of lawyers nationwide, the Ho Chi Minh City legal profession has gradually matured, possessing sufficient prestige and capacity to meet the diverse legal consulting and service needs of society.

According to lawyer Nguyen Van Trung, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association, the city's legal profession is diverse, with training from various sources – including domestic and foreign universities – and currently boasts approximately 40 PhDs and 400 Master's degree holders. Some lawyers are capable of handling numerous international disputes and are members of foreign bar associations or international arbitration organizations.

The Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association has also successfully carried out the tasks assigned by the city, while actively contributing to the development of legislation. In the context of international integration, the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association maintains cooperative relationships and exchanges professional experience with bar associations in many countries. One of the significant events in 2024 was the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Busan Bar Association (South Korea).

Lawyer Nguyen Van Trung - Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association. Photo: NGOC QUY

Getting better and better

Regarding areas for improvement, lawyer Nguyen Van Trung stated that with a large and diverse number of lawyers practicing nationwide, it's inevitable that some individuals will fall into misconduct. He mentioned that in 2024, 11 lawyers were disciplined – ranging from warnings to removal from the bar – for violating professional ethics. Compared to the 8,300 lawyers in the bar association, the rate of disciplinary action is 0.13%.

"To minimize disciplinary violations, the Executive Board of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association advocates for strengthening professional ethics training while strictly handling violations, regardless of who is involved," Mr. Nguyen Van Trung emphasized.

The Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association stated that current laws already have provisions that facilitate the practice of lawyers. Lawyers can choose to practice in various forms, participate in litigation from the moment a suspect is charged, including cases of arrest and detention; and protect the legal rights and interests of those accused or against whom prosecution is requested. However, some regulations still restrict the practice of lawyers, and the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association organized a workshop to gather feedback on the draft of the new Law on Lawyers regarding these issues.

Share with the community

Regarding social activities, for many years, the "Volunteer Lawyer Campaign" has become an annual tradition of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association. Lawyers have directly disseminated legal information to people in remote areas and donated gifts to people in difficult circumstances. Participating in the volunteer campaign provides opportunities for lawyers to empathize with the difficult and impoverished lives of their compatriots, thereby enhancing their sense of responsibility to serve the community.

In 2023, the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association organized the "Volunteer Lawyer Campaign" in 3 provinces of the Central Highlands, and in 2024, it will be implemented in 5 provinces of the Mekong Delta. In addition, the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association recently donated 1 billion VND to support people in the North affected by Typhoon No. 3, and has also repeatedly supported people in the Central region in overcoming difficulties and natural disasters.

The Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association participates in the 2024 volunteer campaign. Photo: Hanh Nguyen

Out of a total of 8,300 lawyers, the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association has 3,690 members under the age of 40. In the era of digital transformation, young lawyers are considered a decisive factor.

Therefore, according to Mr. Nguyen Van Trung, young lawyers need to constantly study and cultivate their political ideology; regularly improve their professional ethics; update their knowledge and enhance their foreign language skills, especially English. They must also remain steadfast in the face of all temptations in life, say no to negativity; and always strive for the common good of society and the country in this era of development.

Stay steadfast in your profession.

Lawyer Trieu Quoc Manh said that after 1975, while working at the Vietnam Fatherland Front in Ho Chi Minh City, he was transferred to the Legal Affairs Department of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City and expressed his desire to become a defense lawyer. When the Department of Justice of Ho Chi Minh City was established, he was assigned to be the Head of the Defense Lawyers Department.

Finding the term "defense attorney" unfamiliar to the public, he boldly proposed changing the name of the Defense Attorneys Association to the Bar Association. Nearly two years after the proposal, in 1989, the idea was accepted, and he became the first chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association until 1995.

Lawyer Trieu Quoc Manh said he was very pleased with the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association, which helps to make litigation fairer and ensures that defendants are protected in court according to procedural regulations. He affirmed that the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association is very helpful to the judicial system.

Looking back over the past 35 years, lawyer Trieu Quoc Manh feels that the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association has always received the support and attention of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee. This has given lawyers confidence in their profession.

"The Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association has carried out legal aid activities for the people, enhancing the value of the association. As we enter a new era of national development, young lawyers need to be prepared with the right mindset and knowledge in a period of rapid economic growth, creating a widespread ripple effect in society," - lawyer Trieu Quoc Manh shared.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/doi-ngu-luat-su-huong-toi-loi-ich-chung-cua-xa-hoi-196241226204304804.htm