Request for withdrawal: Sócrates is left without a court-appointed lawyer again
The court-appointed lawyer assigned to the Marquês case has submitted a request to withdraw from representation to the Lisbon Regional Council of the Bar Association.
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The court-appointed lawyer assigned to the Marquês case has submitted a request to withdraw from representation to the Lisbon Regional Council of the Bar Association.
The institution is considering restricting certain services for lawyers who do not pay their fees. The debt remains in the millions of euros.

Between July and October, the Bar Association managed to recover 1.36 million. The organisation describes it as a “historic recovery”.

The Bar Association (OA) has recovered nearly 1.4 million euros (1,360,312.50) in membership fees during the first eight months of Bastonário João Massano's term — the largest recovery recorded since 2021. The approximately 1.4 million euros were recovered through direct outreach conducted by the OA in July and October, aimed at lawyers with outstanding dues.

The Portuguese Bar Association celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. João Massano, who has been serving as president for almost a year, discusses the controversial budget planned for the celebrations — which run until December this year — and outlines the priorities of his term for the profession. What were, in the ...

João Massano had threatened José Preto with disciplinary proceedings over his criticisms of the court-appointed lawyer for the main defendant in Operation Marquês, José Sócrates.

João Massano says he did not submit a formal proposal to the Ministry of Justice but had “informal contacts”. The Bar Association president reveals that disciplinary proceedings are under way against Pedro Delille.

The President of the Bar insists on using court‑appointed counsel for mega‑cases and wants the Bar's disciplinary procedures to be quicker so that lawyers can “gain credibility and respectability”.

The Bar president explained that, for the solution to be adopted, the approval of the Government and of the Institute for Financial Management and Justice Equipment is required.

The Ministry of Justice says it is not aware of João Massano's proposal, but does not object to the Bar Association creating permanent teams of court-appointed lawyers if it considers the current system does not provide an adequate response.

Operation Marquês, BES Angola, Tempestade Perfeita and Octapharma will be the four mega-trials covered by teams of court-appointed defence lawyers to respond to any resignations by private lawyers.

The Bar Association (which was stirred into action), Seguro and Ventura (who didn't have a good weekend) and IL (which was pleased with Cotrim's manoeuvre) are the Good, the Bad and the Villain.

Trials deemed complex will now have, as substitutes, two court‑appointed lawyers. The idea was put forward by the Bar Association (Ordem dos Advogados, OA) and advanced to Renascença. The president of the Bar Association says that the recent episodes in the Marquês case were the starting point for this “extraordinary measure”. João Massano believes that the issue ...

João Massano, president of the Bar Association, explains why the trial of José Sócrates is not at risk of stopping, even after the resignation of lawyer José Preto.

The Portuguese Bar Association is preparing a counter-proposal to the Government's legislative initiative on confiscation of assets.

The bar association president says he believes the €743,000 budget to celebrate the professional body's centenary will not be fully spent.

The Portuguese Bar Association marks a century of an irreplaceable mission: being there when power moves in on those without a voice.

The Bar Association will begin offering free psychological support to all lawyers in January, extending nationwide a project that previously existed only in the Lisbon region, the professional association announced today.

From January, the Portuguese Bar Association (OA) will make free psychological support available to all Portuguese lawyers. The measure will be implemented by hiring a team of professional psychologists. “Law practice is a profession marked by rigour, responsibility and commitment. But it is, above all, made up of people. People who ...”
