Bamsoet: Indonesia Still Lacks Advocates, Access to Justice Must Be Expanded

House of Representatives member Bambang Soesatyo has stated that Indonesia still needs more advocates to expand public access to legal services, given the persistently low ratio of lawyers to the population. Bambang Soesatyo, known as Bamsoet, made the statement while inaugurating the third law office of Aldwin Rahadian & Partners in Jakarta on Saturday. He emphasised that the increase in the number of advocates must go hand in hand with improvements in quality, professionalism, and integrity to meet the increasingly complex legal needs of society. “The number of advocates must continue to grow, but what is more important is their quality and integrity. Indonesia needs more advocates who can reach communities in the regions, master technological developments, and still uphold the professional code of ethics,” he said. According to Bamsoet, by the end of 2025, Indonesia’s population is expected to reach approximately 288.3 million, while the number of advocates registered as e-Court users is only around 69,813. He noted that although this data does not represent all practising advocates, it illustrates that the ratio of advocates to the population is still relatively low, meaning public access to legal assistance needs to be strengthened. Bamsoet assessed that this situation poses a particular challenge for communities outside major cities. He argued that the uneven distribution of advocates could affect the ease with which the public obtains legal assistance when facing civil or criminal matters. Bamsoet added that a Constitutional Court Decision (Number 150/PUU-XXII/2024) cited a study by the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) stating that ideally, one advocate should serve approximately 1,150 justice seekers per year, highlighting the significant need for competent and widely distributed advocates. He further noted that the future challenges for the profession involve not only quantity but also the ability to adapt to technology-based judicial systems, including the use of electronic services and the digitalisation of case administration.