The Committee of Advocates and Legal Procurators will be examining the award of warrants for about 100 candidates for the profession of a lawyer and 10 candidates for the profession of legal procurator, the justice ministry said.

This will be carried out through the same system that has been used over the years.

This comes following reports that more than 100 lawyers and legal procurators were unable to obtain their warrant because of a standstill situation between the justice ministry and the Committee for Advocates and Legal Procurators over a test that some called as too invasive and discriminatory.

A number of student organisations including Kunsill Studenti Universitarji (KSU), Malta Law Students’ Society (GħSL) and the Junior Chamber of Advocates spoke out against this test.

This is the first time such a test has been added to the requirements, after it was introduced last year, following amendments to the law.

This decision will enable those who have passed the warrant examination and the committee's scrutiny in accordance with past practice to enter the profession and the world of work as soon as possible.

Justice Minister Jonathan Attard welcomed the decision of the Committee of Lawyers and Legal Procurators to take this step in the absence of approved guidelines on good and appropriate candidates.

This development does not mean that discussions between the parties will cease, the ministry said.

The ministry said it will continue its work to agree as soon as possible on the rules and guidelines which determine a suitable candidate, with the aim of strengthening the legal profession without being more invasive than necessary in personal lives of candidates.

Minister Attard thanked the Bar Association and the student unions for their cooperation and commitment and stressed that he will continue to work hard to regulate the profession properly, by carrying out any required legislative reforms.