PERADI Profesional Partners with Unhas to Establish Advocate Professional Study Programme

The Indonesian Advocates Association (PERADI) Profesional, in collaboration with the Faculty of Law at Hasanuddin University (Unhas), is preparing an Advocate Professional Education Programme (PPA) to improve the competence of prospective advocates.

Harris Arthur Hedar, General Chairman of PERADI Profesional, stated that the existence of the PPA is necessary to enhance the quality, competence, ethics, and character of advocates. “Producing high-quality, ethical, and characterised advocates is the motto of PERADI Profesional. Therefore, being professional means proving that this PPA must be established to improve the quality and competence of advocates,” he said, quoting Antara on Friday (18/9).

Harris noted that the existing advocate education system remains a subject of debate, as it is deemed insufficient for shaping true professionals. According to him, the Special Education for the Advocate Profession (PKPA), which takes place over a relatively short period, does not provide enough training to equip individuals with the necessary competencies as advocates.

He emphasised that the legal profession requires an adequate educational process to ensure graduates possess professional capabilities before commencing practice. Consequently, PERADI Profesional hopes that the PPA programme can begin operations by March 2027.

“We are conducting studies today, which will continue tomorrow, and God willing, we will begin moving forward so that this programme can be operational by next March,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Secretary General of PERADI Profesional, Yuhelson, stated that the opening of the PPA was an idea from the Unhas Faculty of Law, which his organisation responded to for implementation. He noted that the implementation of the PPA has a legal basis referring to Law Number 12 of 2012 concerning Higher Education and the Regulation of the Minister of Research, Technology, and Higher Education Number 5 of 2019.

According to Yuhelson, advocate professional education has not been able to be implemented in the desired manner due to the current framework of PKPA based on the Constitutional Court (MK) ruling. He assessed that this situation has led to issues regarding the quality of advocates, and thus the PPA at Unhas is expected to serve as a means to improve the quality of prospective advocates.

“Looking at the phenomena occurring so far, where the recruitment system for advocates is too easy, we see a phenomenon where the quality of advocates is degrading,” he said.

Yuhelson added that the cooperation between Unhas and PERADI Profesional is directed towards improving the quality of prospective advocate graduates through more in-depth professional education.