The Bangladesh Bar Council is a Statutory Autonomous Body of the Government constituted under the Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Order, 1972 (President’s Order No. 46 of 1972). It consists of 15 (fifteen) Members of whom the Attorney – General for Bangladesh is one and is the Chairman ex-officio. Others are elected by Advocates for a term of 3 (three) years from amongst themselves, of whom seven from General Seats and seven from seven Zonal or Group Seats. The elected members, in their first meeting, elected from amongst themselves a vice-chairman and different standing Committees, viz- Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Legal Education Committee etc. There is no membership in the Bangladesh Bar Council. Bangladesh Bar Council is a licensing & regularity body for all Advocates of Bangladesh.
Enrollment as Advocate does not mean the Membership of the Bar Council
When
anybody’s name is entered in the roll of the Bar Council he/ she will be known
as a Advocate but not as a Member of the Bar Council. Membership of the Bar
Council is quite different thing. This is an elected position. Advocates on the
roll elect from amongst themselves 14 persons as Members of the Bar Council for
a term of three years. The Government may, in some extraordinary situation,
nominate persons to act as Members of the Bar Council.
Membership
of a Bar Association is Mandatory
No
person shall practiced as an Advocate unless he is a member of a Bar
Association of the place at which he ordinarily practices.- [Rule- 06(1)].
Therefore, an Advocate who is not a member of any recognized Bar Association,
is not entitled to appear, act and plead before any Court, Tribunal or revenue
authority Bangladesh.
