| Type: | Bar association |
| Turkish Bars Association | |
| Region Served: | Turkey |
The Turkish Bars Association (correctly, the Union of Turkish Bar Associations) or Türkiye Barolar Birliği (TBB) has been established in 1969[1] and is an organisation for Turkish lawyers, uniting over 70,000 lawyers in 79 Turkish bar associations. Established in 1969, it is headquartered in Ankara.[2] The current president is Erinç Sağkan.[3]
The TBB is a member of the International Bar Association and the European Bar Federation.[4]
A “Union of Bars in Turkey” was established on the 5 April 1958. Since then the 5th of April is known as the "Lawyer's Day" in Turkey. Later on the Turkish Bars were organized in a different and more efficient way, and on the 7 April 1969 the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) was established with the Law No. 1136, concerning the legal profession (the “Attorney’s Law”). "Individuals who are not registered with a Bar Association may not use the title 'Attorney' or work in the profession, except the lawyers who are employed by state/government."[5]
In May 2020, a majority of the heads of the provincial bar associations in Turkey announced opposition to the a reform of the Attorney Law, which also stipulates regulations to their election. They stated that they were not asked for their opinion about a reform suggested by the Turkish Government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.[6] In June 2020, several provincial leaders of the Bar Association began a March to Ankara, in protest of the planned reform.[7] In July 2020, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey passed a new law on the Bar Associations[8] and since it is possible to create more than one Bar Association per province, as long as 2000 lawyers agree on it in a province with 5000 registered lawyers.[9]