Peradi Profesional Chairman Harris Arthur Vows to Uphold Advocates' Dignity

Together with a number of advocates and academics, including Prof. Fauzie Yusuf Hasibuan and Prof. Abdul Latif, Prof. Dr. Harris Arthur Hendar has established the Perhimpunan Advokat Indonesia (Peradi) Profesional as a platform focused on strengthening the quality, ethics, and character of Indonesian advocates. Peradi Profesional was officially declared in Jakarta on Thursday, 5 March 2026. Harris, who now serves as General Chairman of Peradi Profesional for the 2026-2031 period, stressed that the organisation was not formed as a competitor to existing advocate organisations, but rather as an answer to the collective unease among advocates to safeguard the integrity and dignity of the profession. According to Harris, Peradi Profesional exists to enhance the quality of advocates while maintaining the profession as a dignified one. “The enactment of the new Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code demands advocates who are not only technically proficient but also ethically mature and possess strong social and constitutional responsibility,” he said in a written statement on Monday, 13 July 2026. Harris, who also serves as Vice Rector IV of Jayabaya University, said the advocate profession currently faces various challenges, ranging from organisational fragmentation to a decline in public trust, which has the potential to shift the function of advocates for momentary interests, thereby reducing the profession’s dignity. On the other hand, the development of digital technology also presents new challenges for the legal world. According to him, the emergence of various digital platforms and technology-based financing systems has created new legal relationships that have not been fully accommodated in the conventional legal system. Furthermore, the implementation of the new Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code increasingly demands the presence of advocates with strong technical skills, ethics, and social responsibility. Although newly established, Peradi Profesional has already received an award from the Indonesian World Records Museum. The award was given through Indonesian Record Certificate Number 12803/R.MURI/VII/2026 as the advocate organisation with the most cooperation signings with 108 religious universities for the implementation of advocate education. Regarding the award, Harris expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and all universities that supported the achievement. “We extend our deepest gratitude to the Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia along with the Director General of Islamic Education, and also the University of Indonesia. It is thanks to this cooperation that PERADI Profesional was able to receive the award from MURI as the first advocate organisation to sign cooperation with the most public and private universities in Indonesia,” he said. According to Harris, the award serves as motivation for Peradi Profesional to continue improving the quality of advocates through strengthening partnerships with the higher education sector. He considers collaboration with universities to be part of the organisation’s commitment to producing professional, high-integrity advocates capable of addressing the challenges of law enforcement in Indonesia. Recently, Peradi Profesional, together with the Ministry of Religious Affairs, also established a strategic collaboration with the University of Indonesia to strengthen the competence of graduates from the Sharia and Law Faculties at Islamic Religious Higher Education Institutions so they are ready to become advocates. The programme facilitates the implementation of Special Advocate Profession Education for alumni. The cooperation, signed in July 2026, involves more than 111 Islamic universities across Indonesia. The programme includes overseeing PKPA standards and advocate profession examinations, improving the competence of Islamic law graduates in advocacy practice, and strengthening the values of adab, ethics, and integrity in the advocate profession. Harris said Peradi Profesional will continue to push for improved advocate quality through professional training and education. PKPA is one of the mandatory requirements for Law graduates before taking the Advocate Profession Examination and being appointed as professional advocates. “Going forward, there will be PKPA/PPA to improve the quality of future advocates. To become an ethical and high-integrity advocate, PKPA equips participants with basic material on the advocate profession and code of ethics, civil, criminal, religious, and administrative procedural law, as well as practical skills such as legal document drafting, litigation techniques, negotiation, and legal opinion drafting,” he concluded.