Greece’s Justice Minister George Floridis called for stronger dialogue and cooperation between judges and lawyers at an event organised by the Justice Watch Observatory at the Athens Bar Association, stressing that mutual respect and institutional consultation remain essential to improving the administration of justice.
Floridis praised the event, which focused on relations between judges and lawyers, describing it as one of the best events he had attended. He said all speakers had spoken with sincerity and conviction, offering constructive perspectives on the relationship between the two professions.
Although relations between judges and lawyers generally remain good, Floridis said both sides must work to improve them further.
The minister also referred to an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report examining access to justice in Greece and the planning of judicial services. According to the report, Greece performs positively on several indicators relating to access to justice and dispute resolution, ranking among OECD countries with relatively strong results in resolving justice-related problems and in citizens’ perceptions that proceedings were fair.
Supreme Court president calls for institutional dialogue
Panagiotis Lymberopoulos, president of Greece’s Supreme Court (Areios Pagos), stressed that the justice system must operate within clear institutional boundaries and rules that safeguard the right to a fair trial.
He said all participants in the justice system must share one common denominator: justice itself.
Lymberopoulos also referred to the divisions that have emerged between judges and lawyers, saying he had urged judges to remove the labels that fuel these divisions. He warned that anyone seeking to benefit from the conflict between the two professions was undermining progress, arguing that institutional consultation, direct engagement and dialogue offered the only constructive way forward.
He also pointed to existing institutional powers available to judges when lawyers call the police to arrest those present on the judicial bench.
The Supreme Court president urged all participants in the justice system to leave past disputes behind and focus on its future.
Athens Bar Association president defends dialogue and professional independence
Andreas Koutsoulampros, president of the Athens Bar Association, said the event sent a strong message that judges and lawyers could sit at the same table, discuss issues calmly and openly, and work towards their shared goal of improving the administration of justice for the benefit of Greek citizens.
Their roles, he said, remain distinct, but their ultimate purpose is the same.
Koutsoulampros called on both professions to abandon short-sighted practices and individual or institutional egos, instead building relationships based on cooperation, mutual respect and frank, impartial dialogue. Sterile confrontation, he warned, leads only to dead ends.
He said the legal profession had responded institutionally to attempts to undermine the role of lawyers, relying on evidence and the law as it currently stands rather than confrontation. He added that these efforts had isolated those who sought to target the legal profession as a whole.
The Athens Bar Association president stressed that lawyers would not compromise their professional standing, dignity or right to self-regulation. He said genuine dialogue requires mutual respect for each profession’s institutional role.
Addressing misconduct by lawyers, Koutsoulampros acknowledged that isolated incidents did not reflect well on the profession and said the association unequivocally condemned such behaviour.
However, he rejected the need for new exceptional mechanisms or legal interpretations that could undermine the self-regulatory powers of bar associations. The judge presiding over a hearing, he said, already has the necessary means to maintain order in the courtroom.
Justice belongs to the Greek people, judicial leaders say
Sofia Lignou, president of the three-member administrative council of the Athens Court of Appeal, drew on her daily experiences at the court to stress that justice belongs neither to judges nor to lawyers, but exclusively to the Greek people.
She described both professions as servants of justice, each fulfilling a distinct role, and called for an end to prejudice on both sides.
Dimitris Finokaliotis, president of the Thessaloniki Bar Association, likewise stressed that the effective administration of justice constitutes the common objective of everyone working within the system.
He said judges and lawyers had chosen their professions not merely as career paths, but because they believed in something greater than themselves.
Finokaliotis explained that the justice system exists to resolve competing interests and conflicts within society. Its organisation depends on a division of responsibilities, with each participant contributing to the common mission.
He noted that the judiciary resolves disputes while also exercising oversight over the other branches of government, as provided for under Article 26 of the Greek Constitution. The legal profession, he added, forms an integral part of the right to judicial protection and the rule of law, citing Council of State ruling 2128/2013.
He also referred to decisions by the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union and Greece’s highest courts that recognise the importance of lawyers’ roles and their freedom of expression.
However, Finokaliotis argued that lawyers must exercise this freedom in pursuit of justice, not through insulting or abusive behaviour that serves no legitimate judicial purpose.
He called on judges and lawyers to reflect on their shared history and return to the principles that had guided their professions through sustained, institutional and honest dialogue.
Athens court president warns against division
Christoforos Linos, president of the administrative council of the Athens Court of First Instance, said the justice system could not function without cooperation and mutual respect between judges and lawyers.
He stressed that both professions served one common objective: the administration of justice, which he described as essential to social peace and the smooth functioning of the political system.
Linos warned that approaches that rigidly separate professional roles or encourage baseless generalisations and group divisions undermine institutional credibility.
He argued that both sides would lose from continued conflict but would benefit from cooperation and good-faith efforts to understand each other.
He also stressed that unacceptable conduct remained isolated and did not alter the generally positive picture. With the relevant disciplinary bodies willing to address such incidents decisively, he said, the professions could further reduce their occurrence.
Justice Watch proposes annual conference and warns about artificial intelligence
Panagiotis Perakis, president of the Justice Watch Observatory and former president of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), chaired the event and described cooperation between judges and lawyers as fundamental to the rule of law.
He proposed an annual conference organised jointly by the judiciary, the legal profession and the Ministry of Justice to address challenges within the justice system and improve relations between judges and lawyers.
Perakis also highlighted artificial intelligence as an emerging threat to the justice sector and stressed the need for appropriate safeguards.
Sofia Syrogianni, president of the Association of Trainee and Young Lawyers of Athens, presented the perspectives and concerns of younger members of the legal profession.
(Source: AMNA)
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