In statements to Lusa news agency, Fernanda de Almeida Pinheiro considered it “absolutely legitimate” that the General Council of the Bar Association does not allow the exchange of schedules during the “exceptional period” in which the protest takes place.
“It’s an exceptional period and lawyers already know they have to be available on those designated dates” in the schedules, and there can be no exchanges between colleagues, explained the president, adding that they can, however, “request cancellation of registration.”
“The General Council of the Bar does not allow the exchange of schedules” that were designated during the “exceptional period of protest,” emphasized the president, noting that colleagues who signed up for the schedules “already knew there would be contingencies and that they had to be available on the dates designated by the General Council of the Bar.”
When asked about the duration of the protest, Fernanda de Almeida Pinheiro emphasized that “it depends on the Ministry of Justice (MJ),” as without an amount inscribed in the State Budget for updating the fees for court-appointed defenses, the immediate practical effects of the negotiation rounds with the MJ are not foreseeable.
“We have been asking the MJ to present a proposal to the Bar since May 7,” stressed the president, noting that the next negotiation round with the Government is scheduled for October 9, not guaranteeing that the claimed amount can be inscribed in the State Budget that should be delivered to Parliament on October 10.
The president understands that if the MJ does not commit to an amount in the State Budget, the negotiation falls “into a void” and “another year goes by without the (fee) table being revised,” which is not acceptable.
Also today, João Massano, president of the Lisbon Regional Council (CRL) of the Bar Association, told Lusa that he had received messages from colleagues providing legal aid complaining that the registration system has been under maintenance since Monday, the date when the Bar Association’s protest against the non-update of court-appointed defense fees began.
João Massano clarified that the schedule issue falls under the competencies of the Bar Association’s president, Fernanda de Almeida Pinheiro, and that the CRL can do nothing in this domain. The CRL president considered the non-update of legal aid payment values for about 20 years unfair.
The constraints in the schedule registration system motivated complaints from some lawyers, but there are also court-appointed lawyers who have already expressed their indignation on social media about colleagues who are not adhering to the protest, harming these professionals’ fight for updating court-appointed defense fees.
The Bar Association, through its president, wants an increase of 20 million in the next State Budget for court-appointed defenses and “a clear signal” from the Government that the table revision “is not to be further delayed,” considering it a bad sign that the next negotiation meeting has been scheduled for October 9, the eve of the budget delivery to parliament.
The Ministry of Justice assured that “it has been paying attention to this issue from the beginning, but is doing its homework” and that “when it has reached a conclusion, it will certainly inform the interested parties and the public opinion.”
