The Regulation of Lawyers in Latvia

The legal profession in Latvia as far as the legal representation of natural and non-natural legal persons is concerned, consists of the regulated and unregulated sectors. In the unregulated sector, it is to be noted that in Latvia, essentially, bar some minor restrictions, any adult with, or without legal education, or qualifications, can practice law as a legal representative, or 'lawyer'. Furthermore, in practical terms, there is no significant difference, between the regulated and unregulated sector for legal representatives. This article presents a brief summary of the current state of the regulated and unregulated sectors. In the article, the regulated sector refers to the legal profession that is specifically established by law and supervised by a specific body (i.e., a Bar Association) authorised by law. The unregulated sector, on the other hand, refers to the legal profession established by law and operating under the relevant laws, but not required by law to be supervised by any specific body, like a Bar Association, for example