Legal Immunity of Advocates as a Constitutional Guarantee for Access to Justice and Democratic Accountability: Legal Immunity of Advocates as a Constitutional Guarantee for Access to Justice and Democratic Accountability

Iwan Chandra; Atma  Suganda; Tubagus Achmad  Doradjat

doi:10.56107/penalaw.v4i1.295

Authors

Iwan Chandra Doctor of Law Studies Program, Postgraduate Program - Jayabaya University, Indonesia
Atma Suganda Doctor of Law Studies Program, Postgraduate Program - Jayabaya University, Indonesia
Tubagus Achmad Doradjat Rajamangala University Of Technology Krungthep, Thailand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56107/penalaw.v4i1.295

Keywords:

Advocates’ immunity; Constitutional guarantees; Access to justice; Democratic accountability; Comparative law; Human rights

Abstract

Advocates are essential to upholding the rule of law and ensuring access to justice; yet, they often face intimidation and criminalization when handling sensitive cases. While international instruments, such as the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers (1990), recognize the importance of legal immunity, its constitutional protection and implementation vary significantly across jurisdictions. Employing a normative juridical approach that integrates doctrinal, comparative, and conceptual analyses, this study finds that European legal systems generally provide stronger constitutional safeguards. In contrast, many Latin American and Asian jurisdictions offer comparatively weaker protections. The findings affirm that advocates’ immunity is not merely a professional privilege but a constitutional guarantee essential to equal access to justice and democratic accountability. This study contributes to scholarly discourse by reframing advocates’ immunity within a constitutional and democratic framework. It further offers practical recommendations for policymakers and professional associations to strengthen legal protections, thereby enhancing both the independence of advocates and the resilience of democratic systems.

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Legal Immunity of Advocates as a Constitutional Guarantee for Access to Justice and Democratic Accountability