Summary
ILAC, together with The CEELI Institute conducted this report to provide a more complete picture of lawyers in Myanmar. The report content is based upon interviews with street lawyers, and a written survey of nearly 100 workshop participants in August 2014.
ILAC found that, given the rudimentary nature of the Burmese legal system, issues of personal liberty, land tenure, human rights, and freedom of expression are addressed in cases involving basic legal concepts and fundamental professional skills.
The legal skills of lawyers in Myanmar are minimal; and their substantive legal knowledge is woefully deficient. Given the severe poverty plaguing their country, most lack the minimal resources needed to develop and sustain a successful law practice. In Addition to official repression and judicial corruption.
However, while still unready to meet the challenges of the emerging democratic society, ILAC asserts that private lawyers in Myanmar nonetheless are a pivotal component of future reforms. Development of a legal profession with the abilities, resources and integrity to properly protect the rights of every Burmese citizen should be a priority as the reform process continues.