This initiative marks a departure from the previous practice, where lawyers could commence their careers immediately after graduation without any formal examination.

While judge and prosecutor candidates were already subject to a similar exam, lawyers had been exempted from this requirement, allowing them to begin their careers without any testing upon graduation.

This measure comes in response to the rapid expansion of law faculties in recent years, as well as the overwhelming preference of thousands of graduates each year to pursue careers as lawyers.

Both professional associations and officials from the Justice Ministry have long expressed concerns over what they call «lawyer inflation,» citing its negative impact on the quality of the legal profession.

In order to pursue careers as lawyers, prosecutors or judges, graduates must now achieve a sufficient score on the exam.

The exams, designed to assess and improve professional competence, were conducted in 17 of the country’s 81 provinces.