Burundi Bar Association

The Burundi Bar Association is an independent professional organization whose mission is to serve as a valuable actor in the justice system by ensuring the defense of all persons and their interests, particularly in legal and judicial matters, in Burundi or elsewhere (Article 2 of the Bar’s Rules of Procedure). It was created by Royal Decree on 21/01/1950 and at its inception, it was composed exclusively of Belgian lawyers; the first Burundian national lawyer was not sworn in until 26/01/1967.

In the early years and even until 1993, the Bar did not have many lawyers, but after that, there was a growing interest in the profession, especially from young university graduates. The advent of Non-Governmental Organizations also contributed to this growth.

At the same time, we note a certain number of lawyers leaving the Bar, either to assume other functions incompatible with the legal profession, or because they are omitted from the register for one reason or another.

Currently, the Bar has 700 lawyers, 455 of whom are on the Minor Roll and 245 on the Major Roll.

Law No. 1/014 of 29 November 2002 on the reform of the legal profession governs the profession, and the Bar Association has adopted a regulatory instrument, the Rules of Internal Procedure enacted on 22 April 2004.

In terms of structural organization, it should be noted:

• The General Assembly composed of all lawyers of the Bar;
• The Bar Council composed of 10 members, with the President of the Bar as its President;
• The Executive Secretariat responsible for implementing the Bar’s programs and projects;
• The various specialized commissions of the Bar.