Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act, 1973 — section 13

13. Functions of the Pakistan Bar Council..—[(1)] Subject to the provisions of this Act and the rules made thereunder, the functions of the Pakistan Bar Council shall be.

(a)to prepare and maintain a common roll of advocates; [(b) to admit persons as advocates entitled to practise before the Supreme Court and to prepare and maintain a roll of such advocates and to remove advocates from such roll;

(c)to entertain and determine cases of misconduct against advocates of the Supreme Court and to award punishment in such cases;]

(d)to lay down standard of professional conduct and etiquette for advocates;

(e)to lay down the procedure to be followed by its Committees;

(f)to safeguard the rights, privileges and interests of advocates including initiation of measures for fair and inexpensive dispensation of justice by the subordinate Courts and tribunals;

(g)to promote and suggest law reform;

(h)to deal with and dispose of, and to tender advice in relation to any matter arising under this Act which may be referred to it by a Provincial Bar Council [and Islamabad Bar Council];

(i)to exercise general control and supervision over the Provincial Bar Councils [and Islamabad Bar Council] [and to issue directions to them from time to time] [which shall be binding upon them];

(j)to promote legal education and prescribe standards of such education in consultation with the universities in Pakistan and the Provincial Bar Councils [and Islamabad Bar Council];

(k)to recognize universities whose degree in law shall be a qualification for enrolment as an advocate;

(I)to manage and administer the property and funds of the Pakistan Bar Council, and to invest any of its funds; [(la) to provide free legal aid;

(Ib)to hold conferences, seminars, moots, lectures, jurist conferences and other meetings for promoting legal knowledge and learning in the legal profession;

(Ic)to prescribe conditions for the recognition and functioning of, and to recognise and derecognise, the Supreme Court Bar Association or any Bar Association at the national level;

(Id)to give directions in accordance with the provisions of this Act to the Provincial Bar Councils [and Islamabad Bar Council] in respect of the recognition, derecognition and functioning of Bar Association]; [(le) to provide free specialized services for awareness, promotion and enforcement of human rights;]

(m)to perform all other functions conferred on it by or under this Act;

(n)to do all other things necessary for discharging the aforesaid functions. [(2) Any person aggrieved by an order or decision of a Provincial Bar Council, [Islamabad Bar Council], [the Supreme Court Bar Association or a Bar Association at the national level] may, within thirty days of such order or decision, prefer an appeal to the Pakistan Bar Council, whose decision in such appeal shall be final}. [(3) The provisions of sections 5 and 12 of the Limitation Act, 1908 (IX of 1908), shall apply to appeals under sub-section (2)].