Egypt Daily News – Many courts in Cairo and Giza witnessed, on Tuesday, a boycott by lawyers who refrained from dealing with the court treasuries in protest against the increase in fees for automated legal services. This came in compliance with the decision of the General Bar Association, marking an escalation that followed last Sunday’s demonstrations.
Lawyers were absent from the court treasuries, except for paying appeal fees that were due on their final deadline. However, they continued to attend sessions for their clients in all court circuits, adhering strictly to the escalation step approved by the Bar Association.
Hany Dardeer, a cassation lawyer and former head of the October Bar Association, stated that Tuesday marked the beginning of the gradual escalation by lawyers objecting to the increase in fees for digital judicial services provided to litigants and lawyers.
He added that the treasury counters at South Giza Primary Court were empty of lawyers throughout working hours, in execution of the General Bar Association’s decision to halt fee payments for three days, starting today and ending next Thursday.
The cassation lawyer also said that if there is no response to revert the fees to their previous rates and cancel the increase that may burden citizens, there will be further escalatory steps.
Meanwhile, lawyer Emad El-Sisi stated that there is a complete boycott of fee payments to court treasuries in implementation of the Bar Association’s decision.
He added that any lawyer who violates the boycott and continues to pay fees may face disciplinary actions.
Emad also noted that an exception is made for paying fees in cases where appeal or objection deadlines are due, in order to avoid harm to some clients and prevent disruption of certain case proceedings.
It is worth noting that the Bar Association has firmly rejected all decisions issued by the Council of Presidents of the Court of Appeal regarding increased fees and service charges in the courts, especially the appellate courts, stressing that they contradict constitutional legitimacy.
Local bar associations organized protest sit-ins at primary courts in most governorates across the country last Sunday in objection to the increase in judicial fees. As a first step in escalation, lawyers began today, Tuesday, to cease all dealings with court treasuries at all levels nationwide.
