Ministry of Justice has issued a warning against practicing the lawyer profession without license or violating the ethics and regulations of the profession, saying that violators will be subject to one year in prison or a fine of no less than SR30,000 or both. “A number of ethical and judicial violations have been spotted during inspection rounds of lawyers' offices,” said Abdulrahman Al-Hutan, director of lawyer administration at the Ministry of Justice. “Laywers' offices have been found advertising their services in the media, at courts, and police stations in pamphlets without permission from the Ministry of Justice,” he explained. The ads were reportedly found with false claims and misrepresentations of their profession. All violations have been recorded and would be referred to a disciplinary committee. “Involved lawyers will be summoned up for investigation, and disciplined if convicted,” he said. With a quality customer-service orientation in sight, the Ministry of Justice is scheduled to hold a symposium on Saturday on the computerization of the judicial system in the Kingdom. “It is a step forward to communicate with the public for better service and quality,” said Abdullah Al-Yahya, Deputy Minister of Justice. The Ministry of Justice has been reportedly planning to start e-courtrooms soon. - Okaz __
