Peradi Profesional Synergises Practitioners and 112 Campuses Across Indonesia

The Indonesian Advocates Association Professional (Peradi Profesional) has carved out a new chapter in national law enforcement. The organisation has become the first advocate body in Indonesia to successfully establish a strategic partnership through the signing of a cooperation agreement with the Directorate General of Islamic Education at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the University of Indonesia (UI), and 112 State and Private Universities under the auspices of the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs. The massive collaboration, focused on integrating the legal and academic ecosystems, was inaugurated at the Hotel Borobudur in Jakarta on Wednesday. During the event, Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar welcomed the signing. He stated that the cooperation is highly relevant to the needs of the Indonesian nation today. “We live in an increasingly complex society. Legal issues no longer stand alone as mere textual regulatory problems but are intertwined with socio-economic, cultural, family, digital technology, power relations, and the changing ways society understands religion and law. Because of this, we need what is called a justice ecosystem,” he explained. The Minister assessed that collaboration and integration between law enforcers, the advocate profession, and universities are crucial. He also noted that the advocate profession holds a very noble position because it has the duty to defend rights and maintain balance in the judicial process. “I hope Peradi Profesional continues to strengthen the quality of professional services, ethics, competence, legal literacy, and continuing legal education for advocates,” he asserted. The Chairman of Peradi Profesional, Harris Arthur Hedar, emphasised that this collaboration is not merely a signing of a memorandum of understanding but an effort to build an integrated legal education ecosystem between academics, the government, and professional organisations. “This is not just a ceremony. We are uniting forces to build legal education based on knowledge, integrity, and morals,” Harris said. He added that his party would push for improving the quality of advocates through training and professional education, both general and sharia-based. He also highlighted the challenge of low public trust in the advocate profession, committing Peradi Profesional to restoring the dignity of advocates as an officium nobile, or noble profession. The Rector of the University of Indonesia, Prof. Heri Hermansyah, called the cooperation a triple helix model that connects universities, the government, and professional organisations sustainably. He noted that the main challenge in legal education is ensuring continuity between the academic process and the practical world. Meanwhile, the Director General of Islamic Education at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Amin Suyitno, stressed the importance of strengthening the competence of graduates from Sharia and Law Faculties, particularly in the fields of judiciary and advocacy. He added that the synergy with Peradi Profesional would focus on organising the Special Education for the Advocate Profession (PKPA) and strengthening community-based legal services. This collaboration is expected to be a momentum for strengthening national legal education that is not only academically excellent but also capable of producing law enforcers with integrity and a commitment to justice.