First, I took the Bangladesh Bar Council's Advocateship exam in 2006 and was absolutely appalled by the examination conditions. Nearly all the candidates taking the exam were cheating and talking to one another. There were cheat notes and torn out textbook pages everywhere. The invigilators turned a blind eye to the shocking activities of the candidates and instead chose to speak on their mobile phones. In fact, there was one invigilator who kept answering all the questions to some of the candidates. I thought to myself "What excellent aspiring future advocates...

Recently, I have been going to the Tax Tribunals that are scattered around Dhaka city. The lack of a well-structured, honest and efficient judicial system is painfully apparent. I was horrified to witness that the clerks do not accept any legal documents, which are to be filed or handed to the Bench, without first extracting something out of you. I have had the opportunity of working in several Crown Courts, as well as the Old Bailey, in London, and such conduct is unheard of in a proper Court of Law and indeed most unacceptable and shameful.

My experiences in Dhaka have made me understand that every layer of the judicial system is in desperate need of an extreme makeover. People need to change their attitudes and respect the rule of law. Being a Barrister or a lawyer is one of the most respectable and admirable professions anywhere in the world and having such disgraceful standards in Bangladesh is indeed grim for the future of the judiciary and the country. I think it is vitally important that there is an open criticism of the system, which is in place at the moment, so that someone, somewhere, can stand up and set things right.