Belgium has surplus of lawyers

The number of lawyers in Belgium has almost doubled in the last 25 years, to more than 15 lawyers per 10,000 inhabitants. That's almost twice as many as in the neighbouring countries, says lawyer Jan Dyck  in Het Nieuwsblad.

Dyck is concerned about the explosion in the number of attorneys in recent years. "In Belgium, there are twice as many lawyers as in France and significantly more than in the Netherlands.” According to him, having too many lawyers leads to intense competition for clientele. "Criminal lawyers, for example, have to fight tooth and nail to get interesting clients. They also work for abnormally low fees,” he says.

Dyck sees two reasons for the “worrying increase”. First, there is the problem of the “diploma mill” at universities, with nearly 2,200 students graduating every year with a law degree in Belgium. Second, the internships are too easy, according to Dyck. "In order to become a lawyer, students must first complete a three-year internship, but it’s a joke," he says.

The surplus has unfortunate consequences, according to the lawyer. "I suspect that there are a lot of unqualified lawyers out there."