Young lawyers usually do not earn a lot of money. Allegedly, some are even paid salaries below the minimum wage. In fact, there are no fixed minimum wages for liberal professions.
In collaboration with the Bar Association, the Young Bar Association wishes to set just such a minimum, which will ensure that young lawyers receive at least the equivalent of the minimum wage of salaried employees, explained the latter's new president lawyer Philippe Sylvestre.
The Young Bar Association represents lawyers who have been sworn in for less than ten years, who constitute the majority of lawyers in Luxembourg. Every year, new young lawyers arrive, most of them to work in law firms specialising in commercial law.
To enter the Bar, you must pass the "Cours complémentaire en droit Luxembourgeois" (complementary course in Luxembourg law), which requires certain language skills, particularly in Luxembourgish.
This is a legal provision, which has been strongly criticised in recent years, even by the Young Bar Association. One of the arguments brought against this provision is that potentially good candidates did not pass the examination because of the language test, even though a lawyer does not need Luxembourgish in financial matters, for example.
However, Philippe Sylvestre personally takes a different view of this and thinks that the language requirements are important.
Lawyers are also affected by the coronavirus crisis. The courts were closed during the lockdown. For a short period of time, turnover declined. However, this crisis was also an opportunity to improve digitalisation. The "Paperless Justice" programme of the Bar Association and the Ministry of Justice was accelerated, according to Sylvestre.
