The Panel on the 2023 Legal Monitoring Report Successfully Held
The İLKE Foundation publishes an annual Legal Monitoring Report that monitors and analyzes developments in Turkey's legal field. The panel was organized to address current challenges in the legal field and to propose potential solutions. During the launch event and panel discussion, Atty. Ahmet Sait Öner, one of the panel's editors, underscored the rapid growth in the number of lawyers, noting, “A significant portion of current lawyers have only 0-5 years of experience, which raises concerns about the overall quality in the profession.” Prof. Dr. Mahmut Koca, one of the report's authors, emphasized the issue of judicial quality in Turkey’s first-instance courts. Koca remarked, “Unless we enhance the quality of judgments at the first-instance level, we will continue to see an overwhelming number of cases being referred to higher courts.” Another report contributor, Prof. Dr. Nihat Bulut, highlighted that the right to a fair trial remained the most frequently violated right in 2023. Bulut cautioned, “Violations of the right to be tried within a reasonable time will only increase if preventive measures are not taken.” Legal Education: Student Opinions and Experiences Report This report unveiled significant findings concerning law faculties. Over the past two decades, legal education has expanded rapidly due to the establishment of new faculties and increased student quotas, making it accessible to individuals from all social backgrounds. However, the traditional link between law faculties, which now produce approximately 16,000 graduates annually, and the legal profession has eroded. The challenges faced by young lawyers in securing their place within the profession reflect this growing disconnect