File photo: Egyptian lawyers protest outside a court in New Cairo. Photo courtesy of Egyptian Lawyers Syndicate Facebook page.
In a statement on Sunday, the syndicate confirmed that those who violate the strike decision by attending the sessions will be subjected to disciplinary action, including suspension from practising the profession and prohibition from all syndicate services.
The syndicate’s Facebook page posted pictures showing lawyers complying with its decision to carry out the strike.
This strike is the second of its kind to protest the increase in litigation fees. Lawyers previously staged a half-hour sit-in before their syndicate offices in mid-April to denounce the fee increase and call for their immediate cancellation.
The legal community described the fee increase as a violation of the constitutional right to litigation and a burden on lawyers and citizens.
The syndicate stated that if decision-making authorities do not reconsider these decisions within a week of the strike, it will call on the General Assembly of Lawyers to convene the following day to escalate the matter and make the appropriate decisions.
According to the statement, Abdel-Halim Alam, the head of the Lawyers Syndicate, is following up on the strike's progress, and the syndicate expressed its thanks and appreciation to all the lawyers who have adhered to the decision.
In early March, lawyers expressed their anger and opposition to the Cairo Court of Appeal's decision to introduce a new "file review fee," set at EGP 33 per document.
They argued that the decision significantly raised the cost of other services, such as certificate issuance, which now stands at EGP 60.5, and obtaining enforceable copies of verdicts, which has climbed to EGP 242.
Similarly, they staged half-hour sit-ins before their syndicate offices to denounce the fee increases and call for their immediate cancellation, in a move that preceeded the strikes.
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