Under a sweeping new regulation, lawyers will face heavy fines and disciplinary crackdowns for overstepping their expertise, engaging in procedural sabotage or using public platforms to discuss matters unrelated to their legal practice.
Published in the Official Gazette, the changes aim to uphold professional ethics, ensuring lawyers refrain from meddling in unrelated matters while protecting clients from unnecessary strain.
Under the new framework, lawyers may face disciplinary sanctions for behaving carelessly in their dealings with judges and court staff or acting in ways that damage professional decorum in courthouses.
Sanctions may also be imposed on lawyers who attempt to gain professional advantage by exploiting their position or status, or who effectively turn themselves into parties to a case by making irrelevant public comments.
The regulations also target procedural abuses.
Lawyers may be punished for initiating multiple enforcement proceedings without necessity in cases already based on a court ruling, as well as for failing to attend hearings without a valid excuse.
In addition to disciplinary measures, the law allows for financial penalties of up to 20,000 Turkish Liras ($466) for specific violations.
These include copying another lawyer’s legal filings or refusing to refund fees for cases that are not properly pursued.
