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written by Giorgos Kazoleas, Lawyer* The institution of Justice is not an impersonal entity unaffected by human qualities and weaknesses. In practice, it is a number of  professionals,  judges, who perform, as is commonly said, a supreme function, which is, however, a daily, systematic and repetitive task consisting mainly of adjudicating cases and issuing judicial decisions. Due to the particular importance and practical consequences that usually accompany judicial decisions, the work of judges is reasonable to be the subject of conflicting interests and the judicial judgment to be exposed to the risk or threat of being influenced by various factors including persons, social, business and political formations. In the grand scheme of things, a court decision in some part of the planet may have absolutely no significance, but in the microcosm of the people it may affect, this decision may acquire enormous value. The first and main threat to influencing the administration ...

by Giorgos Kazoleas, Lawyer Nepotism in the legal profession is not only a domestic but a global phenomenon with timeless characteristics. Lack of meritocracy and favouritism during the process of recruitment and professional development of lawyers have common sources of nepotism and clientelism. Even in countries with advanced legal systems, such as the USA, the phenomenon of placing relatives and friends in high positions in law firms is very common. In the southern countries of Europe, nepotism stems mainly from family-oriented concepts deeply rooted in the subconscious of the societies. In smaller populated countries the phenomenon of employers' relatives and friends being preferred for jobs in law firms is more than common. In countries like India, the phenomenon of nepotism in the legal profession has particularly concerned the legal community, as there is a stronghold of a few privileged and powerful families which prevails  in the legal profession. Among lawyers and jud...