Cyprus Lawyers are a body of professionals regulated by the Cyprus Bar Association. They are mostly organized into Cyprus Law Firms or L.L.Cs and Law Offices in Cyprus, of one or more lawyers. Cyprus Barristers and Cyprus Solicitors, have the same rights and obligations as all lawyers who are regulated by one and the same body. Cyprus Lawyers are graduates mostly of U.K Universities and of the Council of Legal Education, and also of Greek Universities. Only a few lawyers, are graduates of other countries. Cyprus Lawyers have been organized into a professional body, a long time ago, even before the British rule in Cyprus ended in 1960. There are about 3.000 Lawyers in Cyprus. Many of them have their own Cyprus Law Firm. Cyprus Lawyers can join other Law Firms simply as an employee. There are some big ones too specializing in all branches of the law, lacking none to the best law offices in Europe. They have lately been allowed to register as a limited liability companies or LLCs. This is important for reasons of prestige, for the more practical growth of the firm, for limiting liability to the company, and for tax purposes.
A Cyprus Law Firm enjoys some other privileges too. A Cyprus Lawyer, before he is allowed to practice, has to pass the very demanding exams set by the Cyprus Bar Association and also do his internship for a year with some other Law Office. Lawyers are well organized, supervised and regulated by the Cyprus Bar Association, which issues their yearly licenses and exercises the disciplinary control over them. Disciplinary regulations are of high standards so that all clients are protected and have security. The main legislation which governs the Legal Profession in Cyprus is the Advocates Law CAP 2, of 1955. A concise law which provides for all matters pertaining to the admittance to the Bar of a new Lawyer in Cyprus, various regulatory matters, and disciplinary provisions. Law Offices in Cyprus are also regulated for their corporate or administrative services which they offer to local and or foreign enterpreneurs. The are required to have a license therefor and are under strict supervision from the CBA.
Cyprus Lawyers Can Become Judges
From the professional body of Cyprus Lawyers, individuals with high sense of justice and with at least 3 years of experience as a practicing lawyer, are chosen by the Supreme Court justices to become Judges. And of course out of those judges come the justices of the Supreme Court itself. Cyprus has very well organized Courts in every district for civil, criminal, family, military and rent control matters, all of them staffed with highly efficient and highly trained judges. An appeal lies to the Supreme Court of Cyprus, which is situated in Nicosia. Cyprus Lawyers until recently could file all the pleadings in English, he could even deliver his argument in English, due to the fact that Cyprus was an English Colony and our Legal system depends to a very large extent on the common law, equity and statute law of the U.K.
This has now changed to some degree. Cyprus Lawyers are now very qualified in all fields of practice, from civil cases of debt to injury cases, divorce and family matters, rent control, EU legislation, patents, marine Law, marine insurance etc. Cyprus Lawyers are mostly organized as groups in offices or firms of more than two individuals. There are various levels in the hierarchy of the judges. there is the District Judge, the Superior Judge, the President of the District Court, the Judge of the Supreme Court and the President of the Supreme Court. Their jurisdictional powers differ accordingly.
Retaining a Lawyer in Cyprus
In order for you to retain a lawyer, it is enough to visit his office and orally agree to hire his services. If it is a Firm then the retainer is issued in the name of the Firm. If you require a particular individual lawyer you have to ask for him and agree that he is to handle your case. You then sign either a retainer form of a Plaintiff or Defendant. A written agreement for the fees of a Lawyer is not usual but it is better if it is done. If no written agreement is made then the lawyer handling a case on behalf of a client is entitled to fees which are provided for by law and fee scales when it concerns litigation, according to the value/scale of the lawsuit. Some fees are provided for by the Cyprus Bar Association for out of court work of Cyprus Lawyers such as contract work or administration of estates of deceased person.
In order to dismiss your lawyer you can inform him of your decision, pay all his fees due and collect your file. Cyprus Lawyers are now almost equally divided in number between men and women. Women lawyers, have proved to be efficient, resilient and professional. They have even been very successful as judges. They can practice for as many years as they desire. They do not have to retire. In fact some lawyers in Cyprus, practice up to the age of 80 or 90 years and there have been cases of individuals practicing at an age, even older than that. However the legal profession, has its own pension scheme and on their retirement lawyers get a pension and a lump sum payment from the Cyprus Bar Association.
Cyprus Lawyers do not usually specialize in one field as Cyprus is a small country. They offer all Legal Services to their client unless it is out of their field of knowledge.If you want to see all the Legal Services offered by our Firm please follow the link. Some of the Legal Services offered by our firm is Cyprus Company Formation and Cyprus International Trusts, two very important services for many international clients. For Cyprus Company Formation follow this link. For the Cyprus International Trust follow this link.
Cyprus Lawyers – Law Offices in Cyprus
Cyprus Lawyers can appear in front of a judge as a legal entity! In other words they can represent a client in Court through any lawyer who is a member of the firm or employed by the law office! Only lawyers who have qualified with a law degree and have obtained the license from the C.B.A, can practice and appear before a Cyprus Court. The High Court has the authority in special circumstances to allow a lawyer from some other country to appear before a Cyprus Court, but such instances are rare. A Cyprus Law Firm, can now be either a single lawyer practicing on his own, and can have as many offices as he likes in all cities of Cyprus, or a partnership of two or more lawyers, again with law offices in as many towns as they like, or finally a limited company with members physical persons who are practicing lawyers, but only the physical persons can have a license to practice. There are sizable Firms, with many partners, practicing in all fields of Cyprus law capable of offering the necessary legal services to all kinds of clients big or small , in fields like shipping, trusts, energy sector, aviation, patents etc. A Law Firm today is as good as any European Law Firm and as capable. Our Law Office was established by Mr. Evgenios Erotokritou in 1979! He has been a member of the Cyprus Bar Association since then. Our long experience has led to a successful law practice and through our international presence we are a well known Law Firm capable of offering the highest quality of legal and corporate services.
Cyprus Solicitors
Cyprus solicitors are Lawyers in every respect as the rest of the Cyprus Lawyers. They are only called Solicitors usually by British clients due to the fact that in the UK most people use a solicitor to do their business. A solicitor in the UK, is entitled to practice law in the lower courts of the UK. The solicitor has no right to appear in the High Courts or the House of Lords. A solicitor is a highly trained lawyer who usually joins a chamber with other solicitors thus forming a partnership. Solicitors usually exercise in the law of conveyancing, where they specialize a lot. The regulatory professional body of the Solicitor is the Law Society, of the UK. In Cyprus lawyers, are called sometimes solicitors, but that is not precise. The word lawyer would be more appropriate, or attorneys or attorneys at law, and so on, depending on the tradition of every country. In Cyprus, there is no distinction between lawyers and solicitors.So Cyprus Solicitors have the same rights in practicing the profession as all other lawyers.
Barristers in Cyprus
Barristers are Cyprus Lawyers who are qualified and are practicing Cyprus Lawyers,according to the regulations set by the Council of Legal Education in the UK London. A Barrister has the right to practice in all the courts of the country, including the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords. To be a Barrister you have to join one of the Inns of Court in the UK. They are the Middle Temple, Gray’s Inn, and Lincoln`s Inn. The differentiation between Solicitors and Barristers is a historical one and it goes back to the 1600s. There has always been a historical discord between the two professional bodies in the UK, which has not been vented until today. In Cyprus there is no distinction between Cyprus lawyers and Barristers as all Cyprus lawyers have the same rights of practicing their profession.
Cyprus Attorneys – Attorneys at Law – Advocates
These words are used in many countries to describe, their lawyers, depending on their law and their tradition and history. Some Cyprus Lawyers use the words Advocate, or even Attorney at Law, or Barrister or Legal Adviser and so on. They are doing this figuratively, meaning to denote that they are Cyprus Lawyers.
Useful Links
Below there are some useful links in which you may find interesting or useful material.