Lawyers across Morocco have temporarily suspended a nationwide strike that disrupted court proceedings for more than four months, while maintaining their opposition to legislation governing the legal profession.
The Association of Moroccan Bar Associations announced that lawyers would resume professional activities from October 7, 2026, after months of protest against Law No. 66.23, which seeks to reform the regulation of the legal profession. The suspension marks a pause in the industrial action, not a resolution of the dispute.
The association said the decision would allow the profession to await the formation of a new government and the appointment of a justice minister before determining its next steps. Its leadership has maintained that the concerns raised by lawyers remain unresolved.
The dispute centres on provisions of the legislation that lawyers say could undermine the independence of the profession, the authority of bar associations to regulate their members and the profession’s institutional autonomy.
The strike began on June 15, 2026, and was extended several times as negotiations and discussions over the proposed reforms failed to produce an outcome acceptable to the association. The action affected legal services and court appearances across the country.
The disruption contributed to repeated adjournments and a growing backlog of cases, affecting litigants awaiting hearings and other judicial decisions. The prolonged stoppage also raised concerns about access to justice, particularly for people whose cases depended on lawyers appearing in court.
The controversy surrounding Law No. 66.23 has included objections to provisions concerning disciplinary authority and the balance of power between government institutions and the organised legal profession. Lawyers have argued that changes to professional regulation should be developed through meaningful consultation with their representative bodies.
The association’s decision to suspend the strike leaves open the possibility of further action if discussions with the incoming government fail to address its demands.
For Morocco’s justice system, the immediate resumption of legal work offers an opportunity to address delays accumulated during the stoppage. However, the underlying disagreement over professional independence and the future regulatory framework remains unresolved.
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