Harris Arthur Announces Peradi Profesional as the Answer to Lawyers' Challenges
Jakarta (ANTARA) – Prof. Harris Arthur Hedar unveiled a new body for advocates in the country, the Indonesian Advocates Association (Perhimpunan Advokat Indonesia, Peradi) Profesional, as a concrete response and preventive measure to the challenges facing the advocacy profession and the Indonesian legal world, in Jakarta on Thursday (5 March).
As its general chairman, he stated that Peradi Profesional, or Peradiprof, is a professional association based on quality, ethics, and character.
“Peradi Prof is not a competitor but a response to the collective restlessness of us all. We are here to ensure that the profession remains dignified and continues to be an officium nobile, that is, a noble profession,” Harris said, as quoted in a written statement.
It was conveyed that the state of the advocacy profession is at a historical crossroads.
Harris argues that public trust is falling because fragmentation within the bar associations has led to a tendency for the profession to degenerate into a mere instrument for short‑term interests, undermining the profession’s dignity.
He continued that those challenges are becoming more complex with the dynamics of 21st‑century digital transformation, which demand fundamental changes in Indonesia’s legal system.
Such conditions include the emergence of digital platforms and technology‑driven financing systems that create new legal relationships outside traditional Civil Code (Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Perdata).
The enactment of new Penal Code and Penal Procedure Code, he says, also demands advocates who are not only technically proficient but also ethically mature and possess strong social and constitutional responsibilities.
Peradi Profesional has a strong intellectual foundation, being founded by three advocates who are also academics and professors of law: Prof. Harris, Prof. Fauzie Yusuf Hasibuan, and Prof. Abdul Latif.
Legally, Harris said the organisation’s existence has been recognised by the state through the Indonesian Minister of Law’s approval No. AHU-0000086.AH.01.07 of 2026. This legality provides legal certainty in carrying out all organisational activities.
“The presence of Peradiprof is a collective endeavour to restore the advocacy profession to its essence as a guardian of justice and a custodian of rationality in law,” he said.
Thus, he said, Peradiprof seeks to be an integral part of the legal civilisation towards a dignified Indonesia, ensuring every advocate under its umbrella is fully aware of their role as public servants and enforcers of the law in the digital transformation era.
He reminded that the nobility of the advocacy profession lies in integrity, social sensitivity, and commitment to humane justice, for the true essence of an organisation is when its existence brings direct benefit to society.
When advocates can feel the suffering of the common people, he said, justice comes alive, not merely a text in law.
Therefore, Harris said the declaration in the month of Ramadan is a hope that Peradi Profesional will be continuously blessed in every move and step forward.
The declaration was accompanied by a social outreach activity: donations to 1,250 orphans and the poor.
That philanthropic moment represents tangible social advocacy—a commitment that the advocacy profession exists to strengthen hope, provide protection, and deliver humane justice.
“The prayers of orphaned children and the poor, God willing, will be a spiritual energy for Peradi Profesional’s journey to remain steadfast in preserving the dignity of this cherished profession,” Harris said.
In attendance to give a sermon, Ustadz Das’ad Latif emphasised that the success of a lawyer must be underpinned by three main aspects for preparation in the hereafter.
First, safeguarding the blessing of sustenance, for halal money significantly shapes the character and piety of children.
Second, to treat legal expertise as a form of perpetual charity (sedekah jariah) through the dedicated application of knowledge to aid others.
Third, lawyers must use their intellect and faith to uphold true justice, by applying the law accurately and proportionately, not merely defending a client who is in the wrong.
The legal profession, according to Das’ad Latif, will become a blessing and a field of charity if practised with clean earnings, generosity of knowledge, and a commitment to truth above all.