Foreign lawyers permitted to operate in Viet Nam
(07/24/2003 -- 12:34GMT+7)
Ha Noi, July 24 (VNA) - Foreign lawyers' organisations and foreign lawyers are now allowed to operate in Viet Nam under a decree signed on Tuesday by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.
This decree stipulates that the Vietnamese Government will ensure non-discrimination among foreign lawyers' organisations and foreign lawyers practising in Viet Nam and will protect their ownership of their investment capital and other legal interests.
Foreign lawyers' organisations and lawyers are not allowed to practise their work in Viet Nam without a licence granted by the Vietnamese Justice Ministry, in line with the Government decree. Those lawyers organisations practising in Viet Nam are responsible for all their activities before Viet Nam's law.
Foreign lawyers' organisations will operate in three forms: branches of foreign lawyers organisations, foreign lawyers' companies, and partnership companies between foreign lawyers' organisations and Viet Nam's partnership lawyers' companies.
Foreign lawyers will practise their job as consultants on foreign and international laws. They are not allowed to give advice on Viet Nam's laws unless they hold a degree from a Vietnamese law college and are qualified as Vietnamese lawyers. They are also not permitted to take part in prosecutions as defenders or representatives of the accused in Viet Nam's courts.
The decree will take effect 30 days after it is published in the gazette.
Earlier on Monday, the Prime Minister issued a number of policies and mechanisms encouraging the development of Viet Nam's fleet to accelerate the transport of import and export goods by Vietnamese marine transportation businesses.
