This is the Chamber of Advocates’ newsletter for the month of April 2025.
- The Committee of the Chamber has met with the newly appointed Chief Executive of the Agency for Court Services, Dr Vanessa Grech, where various issues were discussed amongst which the agency for court staff, the taxed bill of costs, monitors around the court corridors, and other issues. The Chamber holds meetings with the Chief Executive on similar issues on a regular basis throughout the year.
- Continuous work is being done on the proposed Lawyer’s Act to regulate the legal profession. A meeting with the Minister for Justice is scheduled to take place in early May to discuss a way forward in concluding the proposed Bill.
- As stated in our previous newsletter, the Chamber has proposed to the Ministry for Justice amendments to the tariffs applicable to lawyers, which tariffs have been uploaded on the Chamber’s website as guidelines. The Chamber is still waiting for feedback from the Ministry.
- The Chamber has petitioned the Minister for Foreign Affairs to sign the Convention on the Protection of the Profession of the Lawyer, which is expected to be signed on the 13th May (next month) in Luxembourg. This Convention outlines several key provisions aimed at protecting lawyers from undue interference and ensuring their ability to perform their duties effectively.
- The following are updates received from the various sub-committees appointed by the Chamber in different legal fields:
Mediation Sub-Committee: composed of Dr Jonathan Abela Fiorentino and Dr Umberto Borg Cardona:
- Over the past months this committe has been discussing and evaluating various aspects of mediation, focusing in particular on possible ways and options to introduce mediation into our legal system, if necessary in a mandatory manner.
- In this regard, the committee has explored and conducted research on foreign strategies adopted by other countries in order to promote and introduce mediation in their legal systems. The committee has identified the Italian system / method (known as the ‘opt-out model’) as the best model that can be adapted into the Maltese legal system, taking account of the specific exigencies of the Maltese legal & judicial system as well as local realities (including professional realities).
- In this context, the committe has worked on and drafted a paper, presented to the Chamber at the beginning of this year, aimed at providing an overview of what is mediation, its benefits, the challenges it will face, proposals on how to promote mediation together with a culture shift towards use of mediation, proposals and options on how to implement mediation in our legal & judicial system.
- Over the past days the committee has been in contact with MFSD, an out of court dispute settlement body and academy, having its seat in Milan, and held a preliminary discussion on how there can be co-operation. The committee then aims to present their findings as well as further proposals and suggestions to the Chamber, with the aim of then presenting a plan for wider discussions and eventual implementation to the relevant competent authorities, including the Ministry for Justice, the Mediation Centre and the Judiciary.
In-house Lawyers Sub-Committe: composed of Dr Jean Noel Cutajar, Dr Daniel Attard, Dr Stefan Grima, Dr Gertrude Borg Micallef, Dr Ruth Vella Falzon, and Dr Michael Agius.
- Since its inception last year, this commitee has convened three times and discussed several initiatives to be focused on during the coming months. The main areas of focus are the following:
- Organising educational activities on key topics such as Artificial Intelligence, GDPR, DORA, TMT, Intellectual Property Law, and relevant case law, with a focus on contractual provisions and contract drafting.
- Planning tailored sessions for in-house lawyers on practical topics, including interpreting financial statements and basic accounts, team management, effective interviewing and recruitment, fundamentals of contract review and drafting, and essential corporate compliance.
- Coordinating regular networking events and specialised meetings specifically aimed at in-house legal professionals.
- Exploring the possibility of opting out of certain Chamber of Advocates emails, particularly those related to court updates.
- Establishing connections with external associations focused on supporting in-house lawyers.
Gaming Law Sub-Committee: composed of Dr Deo Falzon, Dr Paul Micallef Grimaud, Dr James Scicluna, Dr Andrea Theuma and Dr Malcolm Falzon
This committee has been involved in discussions with the Malta Gaming Authority which had sought the feedback of the Chamber concerning the proposed Authorised Application Managers 0052egulations and Policy Document. The committee has conducted a review and has proposed amendments to the circulated draft framework.
Summer Party: We’d pleased to announce that the date of the Chamber’s Summer Gathering will be Friday the 11th July in the evening. Keep the date free! More info will be provided soon.
Chamber of Advocates
