The number of lawyers in Belgium has almost doubled over the last 25 years, meaning there are now more than 15 lawyers per 10,000 inhabitants. Belgium is therefore the European country with the highest lawyer density, says Counsel Jan Dyck. This was reported in the Monday edition of the Het Nieuwsblad. ‘That’s twice as many as France, and many more than the Netherlands. There are some questions we need to ask ourselves”, says Counsel Dyck, who is a member of the Order of Antwerp Lawyers.

According to him, the surplus of lawyers means fierce competition between these legal professionals, who desperately try to attract and keep clients. “Penal lawyers, for example, are merciless in their fight for the most interesting cases, for little income”, he says. “Because of this, 35% of lawyers are barely above the poverty line, with an income of less than 1,000 euros a month”, he adds.

Andy Sanchez (Source; Belga)