Italian lawyers on Wednesday called a 12-day strike to protest against reforms regarding their profession which were part of the government's so-called competition decree.
Civil, penal and administrative lawyers will stay out of the courtroom from July 10 to 12 and on the last day of their strike will stage a national rally in Rome. The competition decree, which went into effect on Wednesday, was unveiled by Premier Romano Prodi by surprise last Friday and drawn up by his Economic Development Minister Pierluigi Bersani.
Among other things, it abolishes the minimum fee regime adopted by lawyers. That would allow no-win, no-fee practices to be introduced into Italy. Lawyers would also be allowed to advertise their services and set up partnership firms.
According to the Italian Association of Young Lawyers, "the government must do some backpedaling - lowering fees and
allowing indiscriminate advertising does not mean liberalising the market. "On the contrary, it means putting it in the hands of large companies, the only ones who will be able to face the costs and offer cheap services".
In announcing the strike, the National Lawyers Association said the decree "violates rights and prerogatives which are guaranteed under the Constitution". The association added that it was ready to work with the government on an overall reform of their profession but this only after these latest reforms were scotched.
Taxi drivers are currently on the rampage in Italy because the competition decree seeks to deregulate their sector and pharmacists are up in arms over the decree's authorization of over-the-counter drug sales in supermarkets. Other measures in the competition decree include the simplification of sales of second-hand cars, boats and motorcycles by eliminating the costly involvement of a notary.
According to Prodi, the competition measures will help jump start the Italian economy and allow Italy to "lose 10 kilos of fat and gain 5 kilos of muscle".
