Luanda — The inclusion of the Angolan Bar Association (OAA) as a budgeted unit in the General State Budget (OGE), for the full fulfilment of its constitutional mission, is one of the main goals of the new president of the institution, José Luís Domingos, who took office on Friday.
For the three-year period 2024-2026, José Luís Domingos also proposes to change the existing internship model, to adapt it to the modern challenges that professionals face, as well as inserting lawyers into the areas of greatest profitability.
The implementation of a governance model that provides greater transparency in the management of Order; reinforcing the Order's intervention in the processes of monitoring the Constitution in which its intervention is mandatory are other priorities.
When speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the president also referred to the review of the entire legislative package for the Law sector, with particular relevance to the Law on Law, the Statutes of the OAA, the Code of Ethics and Deontology, the Regime Access to Law and internship regulations, among others.
José Luís Domingos said that in his mandate he will restore the dignity of lawyers through the implementation of social and professional protection mechanisms, such as the presentation of a pension plan or retirement plan.
'We will interact with the Ministry of Justice to increase the value of legal aid fees and their timely payment, as well as fight hard against arbitrary violations of lawyers' prerogatives', he promised.
At the event, José Luís Domingos, elected with 564 votes, members of the National Council of the Angolan Bar Association, the President of the Provincial Council of Luanda, Nilton Praia, and the respective provincial councilors were sworn in.
The ceremony, witnessed by more than 500 people, was led by the president of the Electoral Commission (EC), university professor Lino Diamvuto, who on the occasion presented the medal to the new president of the OAA. Afterwards, the outgoing player, Luis Paulo Monteiro, handed him the baton.
In his address, the president of the EC highlighted that the ceremony was of capital importance since the last electoral election demonstrated a level of competitiveness never seen before, bringing together six competing lists, making the elections a true celebration of democracy.
The event, according to a note sent to Angop today, was attended by the presidents of the Constitutional courts, Laurinda Cardoso, and the Supreme Court, Joel Bernardo, by the Deputy Attorney General of the Republic for the military sphere and by the Deputy Ombudsman of Justice, among other officials of justice.
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In this election, held on December 15, 2023, José Luís Domingos competed, on list C, Vicente Pongolola (list A), Henriqueta Sousa e Silva (B), José Carlos Miguel (D) and Sebastião Vinte e Cinco (E).
The new Chairman, José Luís Domingos 'Zé Luís' (47 years old) has been a registered lawyer since 2009, after graduating in Law from the Faculty of Law of the Catholic University of Angola (UCAN), in 2005. He is also a doctoral candidate in Law from the Faculty of Law of the Catholic University of Lisbon.
Among other positions, he is director of the Center for Research in Law (CID) at UCAN and member of the 'Research Center for the Future of Law' at the Catholic University of Lisbon and the Project 'Public oversighting of digital surveillance in Southern Africa - Un. Glasgow /British Academy'.
The President of the Bar Association is the representative body of the organization that carries out the deliberations taken by the National Council and the General Assembly of Lawyers, which deliberate and regulate the organization and functioning of the OAA.
The OAA has existed since 1996, and is on track to celebrate 30 years of existence in 2026. It has more than 10 thousand lawyers registered among interns and has the role of promoting the practice of law, contributing to the good administration of justice. OMG/DOJ
