Statement of Core Principles

Council at its meeting on 3 July 2006 adopted the Statement of Core Principles of the legal profession "which sets out fundamental principles of a justice system governed by the Rule of Law", first publicised at a meeting of Australian Bar Association Presidents in France in November 2005.

The statement reads as follows:

The legal profession throughout the world, in the interests of the public, is committed to these core principles:

1. An impartial, and independent, judiciary, without which there is no rule of law.

2. An independent legal profession, without which there is no rule of law or freedom for the people.

3. Access to justice for all people throughout the world, which is only possible with an independent legal profession and an impartial, and independent, judiciary.