Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman urged young lawyers to focus on developing professional skills, merit and integrity rather than pursuing quick wealth through corruption or shortcuts.
“Instead of trying to become rich quickly through corruption or shortcuts, you should build yourselves as ideal lawyers through merit, honesty, morality and hard work,” he said.
The minister was addressing the ‘Felicitation Programme 2026’ at the University of Asia Pacific (UAP) auditorium in the capital, organised to honour UAP law graduates who passed the Bangladesh Bar Council enrolment examination.
Asaduzzaman said one of the key objectives of making the Bar Council enrolment examination transparent and stringent was to ensure entry into the legal profession based on merit and competence.
He said those who passed the examination and obtained certificates as lawyers had achieved the success through their own merit and qualifications rather than anyone’s favour or patronage.
The minister said there was no scope for nepotism in the enrolment examination, noting that even children of members of the enrolment committee had failed the test.
He urged newly enrolled lawyers to remain confident in their abilities and qualifications and stressed that patience and hard work were essential at the beginning of a legal career.
“Even if you get less work and lower fees at the beginning of your career, you have to remain patient and continue working. Your workload and remuneration will increase with experience,” he said.
The minister also urged lawyers to maintain professional relationships with clients and uphold the dignity and ethics of the legal profession.
He said a lawyer’s responsibility was not limited to handling cases in exchange for fees, stressing that ensuring access to justice for poor and vulnerable people was also a social and professional responsibility.
He encouraged lawyers to take up some cases of disadvantaged people free of charge alongside their regular paid work.
Asaduzzaman also stressed the importance of regular study and practice to improve professional knowledge and skills, particularly legal drafting.
“The more you study, the more knowledge and skills you will acquire,” he said.
The minister said that although Bangladesh has a large number of lawyers, adequate professional training facilities are still lacking.
He said the government was working towards introducing training programmes to strengthen lawyers’ professional skills and make the legal profession more dignified and skill-based.
UAP Board of Trustees Chairperson KM Mozibul Hoque, Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mohiuddin Ahmed Bhuiyan and Acting Dean of the School of Law Prof Dr MA Baqui Khalily, among others, attended the programme.
Later, the UAP law graduates who passed the Bangladesh Bar Council enrolment examination were felicitated.
