Balie Brussel

Lawyers are independent professionals: they are not dependent on the government, the courts, or even their clients. As far as clients are concerned, this means they can rely on lawyers to defend their interests without having any personal interest in the matter.

Independence is one of the pillars of the legal profession. Lawyers stand up for people against ‘power’ (formerly the sovereign, now the State and the courts). This means lawyers must be independent of the authorities. The independence of the legal profession is an essential part of a democracy; and to preserve this independence, lawyers need a Bar.