Localized licenses are planned to be introduced to improve access to legal services in remote regions
The Ministry of Justice has developed a draft law that has been presented to the Jogorku Kenesh, aimed at ensuring lawyers are available in all corners of the country, including hard-to-reach and remote areas.
At a meeting of the Jogorku Kenesh committee responsible for constitutional legislation and local self-government, Deputy Minister of Justice Orzbek Sydykov noted that most licensed lawyers are concentrated in major cities, while many regions of the country lack lawyers. At the same time, the state guarantees the right to free legal assistance to every citizen.
"To obtain a lawyer's license, one must score at least 70 points on the qualifying exam. We propose that those who score, say, 50 points, could work in remote and crisis areas. They will be issued localized licenses allowing them to work in specific territories," Sydykov explained.
He also added that this concerns areas such as Kara-Kulja, Chon-Alai, and others, where there is a significant shortage of lawyers.
The Deputy Minister reminded that in 2023 a similar mechanism was implemented for notaries, which allowed 35 notaries to start working in remote settlements where such services were previously unavailable.
"When there is no lawyer in a particular area, local residents have to turn to specialists from neighboring regions. This creates an additional burden on the republican budget. The new mechanism will help systematically address this issue," he added.
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