BiH has one lawyer for every 500 residents

(Patria) - The number of lawyers in BiH has increased so much in the last few decades that today there is one lawyer for every 450 to 500 residents, according to data from entity bar associations, writes the portal Capital.ba.

According to the bar association's registry, more than 360 lawyers (and about 75 trainees) practice law in Banja Luka, which is half of all registered lawyers in Republika Srpska - of which there are 737.

At the same time, according to estimates by the Statistical Office, Banja Luka has about 185,000 residents, so at the end, we arrive at the figure of one lawyer for every 500 residents.

In Sarajevo, almost the same number of lawyers with judicial exams practice law as there are in the entire Republika Srpska, with 590 in the city and more than 700 in the wider area.

This city, in its immediate area, has about 275,000 residents according to estimates, so by simple division, we get one lawyer for every 469 residents.

In the Federation of BiH, a total of 1,352 lawyers are currently practicing, according to data from the Bar Association of the Federation of BiH.

Lawyer Aleksandar Sajić says that the number of lawyers has increased drastically compared to twenty years ago and that several factors have influenced this.

Sajić points out that the situation has changed dramatically, as has their profession.

- If one of our colleagues fell asleep 20 years ago and woke up today, they would be shocked by the number of lawyers in Banja Luka. The legal profession, both here and in the world, has changed tremendously.

From a traditional profession of representing clients in courts and state bodies, which required great life experience, knowledge, and years, it has transformed into a profession that follows trends and strives for specialization - points out Sajić.

He adds that there are lawyers, especially in small firms, who work in all areas, but it is evident that larger firms have specialized in only two or three areas. This allows for acquiring a far greater degree of knowledge and experience than is the case when one is a generalist.

The influx into the legal profession, Sajić explains, began when young colleagues with not much experience became lawyers after being laid off from banks and insurance companies.

Many of them went through their development path in law firms that did not offer them good conditions to stay. Since they have already entered the field and acquired certain knowledge, it is logical for them to pursue that path.

- Whether there is enough work for everyone can be seen from the fact that there are not as many extremely wealthy lawyers today as there were 30 years ago. A good portion of young colleagues work for a solid salary but do not earn huge amounts of money, but even that is sometimes better than being a lawyer in a public company - states Sajić.