The Law Society of England and Wales and the Bar Council have called for the ratification of the Luxembourg Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer, one year after the UK signed the treaty.
The Council of Europe-endorsed convention, also known as the Luxembourg Treaty, is the first internationally binding agreement aimed at protecting lawyers from harassment, threats, discrimination, interference and reprisals. It seeks to safeguard the independence of the legal profession and, by extension, public access to legal advice and representation.
Ratification of the treaty would set the seal on a long-running campaign by UK law societies, bar associations and European bar associations generally that has stretched back more than a decade. The treaty received vocal support from partner organisations at the Opening of the Legal Year ceremony in London in October.
The convention will enter into force once eight states have ratified it. The UK was one of 17 countries to sign the treaty last year, while 29 states have now endorsed the instrument. Once ratified, it will also be open to countries beyond the Council of Europe, extending its potential reach.
Law Society president Mark Evans said lawyers were “on the front line of resolving everyday legal issues so that we, and our communities, can thrive”.
“Like many frontline workers, the role of a lawyer is not without risk,” he said, noting that, following riots in 2024: “UK lawyers are increasingly exposed to targeted threats and abuse. This convention would provide vital protections enabling lawyers to support the public safely and independently.”
Evans said early ratification would boost the UK’s reputation internationally. “The UK government has the opportunity to lead by being among the first to ratify it,” he said.
“Doing so would strengthen the UK’s global position as a jurisdiction of choice and a beacon of stability and the rule of law. It would encourage other countries to follow suit and stand up for justice.”
The Bar Council said ratification would strengthen the UK’s ability to advocate for international standards and strengthen its bilateral rule-of-law work, while ensuring it upheld the same values at home as it seeks abroad.
Chair of the Bar Kirsty Brimelow KC said: “The safety of lawyers is essential to the rule of law and a functioning liberal democracy. The UK was an early signatory of the Luxembourg Treaty, but its commitment to the protection of lawyers will be measured at the point of ratification. I urge the UK to lead the way in ratification and so show concrete support for European colleagues who work in jurisdictions where they face risk and danger.”
The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), which represents bars and law societies in 46 countries and more than one million European lawyers, also called for states to move from signature to implementation.
“Where lawyers are silenced, the rule of law falters, justice is weakened, freedom is restricted and citizens’ trust in the state is extinguished,” the CCBE said.
CCBE president Roman Završek added: “One year on, the message is clear: 29 states have signed this convention, sending a strong and encouraging signal. It is a step towards a Europe where lawyers can serve freely, where citizens can be defended fully and where the rule of law is not just proclaimed but lived.”
The City of London Law Society chair, Colin Passmore KC (Hon), said: “This convention is a significant international law instrument creating binding safeguards to protect lawyers from attacks, threats, harassment, intimidation and other improper hindrance when properly performing legitimate professional activities.”
He added: “Ratification is, in our view, critical as we are increasingly seeing this sort of behaviour directed at lawyers. The obligations imposed on member states by the convention have clear potential to deter and appropriately respond to this type of behaviour, so the CLLS is – on behalf of its over 22,000 member solicitors – supportive of calls for the UK government to proceed to ratification without further delay.”
The anniversary follows a resignation earlier this week of a junior justice minister, Alex Davies-Jones MP, in protest at the leadership of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer KC MP. Davies-Jones was replaced by Catherine Atkinson MP, a barrister, formerly of Deka Chambers.
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