The Athens Bar Association (ABA) has announced a strike for Monday, Sept. 16, in protest of reforms announced by the relevant justice ministry, namely, mergers of courthouses, elimination of certain lower courts and procedural measures to speed up legal hearings and actual trials.

The specific bar association, by far the largest in the country, claims that the long-awaited reforms are “rushed and incomplete”, according to an article at TO VIMA.

 Why ABA is striking

Greece’s judicial system has long been criticized – in annual OECD reviews, for instance – for the slow pace of justice meted out in the country, something that adds to business costs, qualifies as a distinct counter-incentive for potential investors and may even contribute to corruption.

In an effort to address these issues, the ministry’s leadership recently announced yet another “road map” for accelerating judicial processes at every level.

The measures were detailed over the weekend by Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis, who spoke to OT.gr in Thessaloniki, on the sidelines of the 88th TIF exhibition. Floridis, a veteran minister and attorney, elaborated on the context to the planned reforms.

ABA’s leadership claimed the reforms do not solve the most critical issues plaguing the domestic judicial system, while announcing a protest.

ABA’s criticism cites the following, as it announced:

  • No amendments to the civil and criminal codes have been passed.
  • There is no system in place for an advance payment of legal fees.
  • The process of notifying parties about new court dates and locations remains incomplete, especially in courts that are scheduled to be abolished or merged.
  • There is no legislative provision allowing courts to manage issues arising from the new “judicial road map’.
  • New courtrooms have not been created at the former Athens lower courts building and one-time Athens appeals courts building.
  • The abolition of the lower court level creates risks, as the lawyers’ union claims, for the rule of law and may lead to significant procedural problems.

Essentially, the industrial action means that ABA-affiliated attorneys will not appear in any court cases or undertake any procedural actions; file documents, legal filings, or representation before administrative committees; register notarial acts in the cadastre or deed offices, or, submit documents for residency permits.

As with previous such actions, however, most attorneys remain in their offices to work on upcoming cases and to meet with clients.

Exceptions include cases where deadlines or urgent legal matters are involved, such as the expiration of appeal deadlines, criminal cases with incarcerated defendants, or appeals against deportations. The strike also excludes civil cases that are in urgent need of mediation or arbitration.

During the strike, no summons or decisions will be served, and there will be no submissions for amicable divorces. Lawyers may appear solely to request adjournments in ongoing court sessions.