Türkiye holds first law profession exam for all graduates

ANKARA

In a bid to enhance the professional standard of legal practitioners in the country, Türkiye on Sept. 29 introduced its first-ever professional qualification exam for law graduates.

This initiative marks a departure from the previous practice, where lawyers could commence their careers immediately after graduation without any formal examination.

While judge and prosecutor candidates were already subject to a similar exam, lawyers had been exempted from this requirement, allowing them to begin their careers without any testing upon graduation.

This measure comes in response to the rapid expansion of law faculties in recent years, as well as the overwhelming preference of thousands of graduates each year to pursue careers as lawyers.

Both professional associations and officials from the Justice Ministry have long expressed concerns over what they call "lawyer inflation," citing its negative impact on the quality of the legal profession.

In order to pursue careers as lawyers, prosecutors or judges, graduates must now achieve a sufficient score on the exam.

The exams, designed to assess and improve professional competence, were conducted in 17 of the country's 81 provinces.

“Our candidates will be eligible to enter the profession upon achieving the required score in the exam. Through this, we aim to enhance both the qualitative and quantitative strength of our legal system,” Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said in a written statement.

Tunç also revealed that discussions are ongoing with the Higher Education Council (YÖK) to reduce admission quotas for law faculties.

“We see how crucial the education received in law schools is for the future careers of our judges, prosecutors and lawyers. Accordingly, efforts have been made to raise the standards for law school admissions,” Tunç said.

The minister noted that the number of students admitted annually has already been reduced from 190,000 to 125,000, with further reductions being considered.

Addressing the judicial profession, Tunç remarked, “In 2002, we had around 9,000 judges and prosecutors. Today, that number has risen to nearly 25,000, reflecting a 160 percent increase.”

Three years ago, Türkiye established a judicial academy where prospective judges and prosecutors engage in practical case analyses, further underscoring the country’s commitment to raising professional standards in the judiciary.