Lawyers' Strike in Morocco: Suspension on 7 October and Rejection of Law 66.23

The Association of Lawyers Bodies in Morocco decided to continue to stop providing professional services until 7 October, with a temporary suspension starting from that date, during a meeting held by the association's office at its headquarters in Rabat, Sunday, 20 September 2026. The decision comes more than four months after the comprehensive suspension of work, in protest against Law No. 66.23 regulating the legal profession. Why October 7th specifically? The office of the association explains that the choice of this date is not arbitrary, but coincides with the elections scheduled on 23 September and the inauguration of the new legislative mandate. With this step, the association wants to give the government majority emanating from the upcoming entitlements an opportunity to consider the points of disagreement related to the law, before deciding its final position on the outcome of the protest. The association stressed that suspending the cessation of services "does not mean retreating from professional demands or accepting the requirements of the law in question." The demands of lawyers' bodies revolve mainly around defending the independence of the profession and safeguarding the immunity of Defending and preserving the self-management of the profession and its historical gains, in the face of what the association considers to be a violation of these guarantees within the framework of Law 66.23. Background of a crisis that lasted for months, Law 66.23 entered into force after its promulgation by a noble dahir on August 20, but this did not put an end to the protest of lawyers, who continued the comprehensive cessation of their services in the courts for more than four months, in one of the longest protest movements in the profession in Morocco. What does the decision mean for litigants? Practically, opens a comment The suspension, starting on October 7, is the door to a gradual return of the services of lawyers in the courts, after months of disruption that affected the progress of cases and litigants. However, the association kept the door open to the possibility of resuming the suspension of work if it did not receive convincing responses regarding the disputed law file from the elected institutions and the future government.