Localized licenses are planned to be introduced to improve access to legal assistance in the regions
The Ministry of Justice has submitted a draft law for discussion in the Jogorku Kenesh aimed at improving the availability of lawyers in various areas of the country, including hard-to-reach and remote regions.
At a meeting of the Jogorku Kenesh Committee on Constitutional Legislation, Deputy Minister of Justice Orzbek Sydykov noted that most licensed lawyers work in large cities, while in some regions there are no lawyers at all. At the same time, every citizen has the right to receive free legal assistance from the state.
“To obtain a lawyer's license, one must score at least 70 points on the qualifying exam. We propose that individuals who score, for example, 50 points, be allowed to work in remote and crisis zones. They will be granted localized licenses that allow them to work in a specific territory,” Sydykov explained.
He emphasized that this concerns regions such as Kara-Kulja and Chon-Alai, where there is currently a shortage of lawyers.
The Deputy Minister also reminded that in 2023 a similar mechanism was implemented for notaries, which allowed 35 notaries to start their activities in remote settlements where notarial services were previously unavailable.
“Currently, when there is no lawyer in a particular area, it is necessary to attract specialists from neighboring territories, which creates an additional burden on the country's budget. The new mechanism will help solve this problem at a systemic level,” he added.
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