The concept, genesis, and normative conditions of the organisation of the Bar in Bulgaria: The second half of the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth century (up to 1914)

Abstract

The development of the Bulgarian bar was inextricably linked to the establishment of the Principality of Bulgaria following the Treaty of Berlin (1878), which concluded the Russo-Turkish War. This period marked a transition from Ottoman structures to a modern national legal framework. This study aims to identify the formative stages of the legal profession in Bulgaria, encompassing the most important ideological factors that shaped its beginnings in the country, and to establish the key legal acts that provided the foundations of the profession’s activity. It employs a historical-legal analysis, centred on the concept of legal transplantation, examining how Russian judicial models were adapted to the socio-political realities of the newly formed Bulgarian state. The study finds that the Bulgarian judicial system was modelled primarily on the 1864 judicial reforms of Tsar Alexander II. Significant progress occurred with the 1880 regulations on legal representation and the landmark legislation of November 1888, which formally institutionalised the roles of advocates and advocates’ assistants. The emergence of bar councils, though initially limited in scope, is identified as a crucial manifestation of modernisation. These institutions laid the groundwork for professional self-governance and the alignment of the Bulgarian legal system with European standards.