A modest turnout of lawyers gathered in central Cairo on Monday to protest the continued imposition of so-called automation fees, as a deepening split within the Lawyers Syndicate appeared to hamper mobilisation.
The demonstration, held outside the syndicate’s headquarters, comes amid waning participation in protests nationwide, marking a shift from earlier shows of solidarity that had swept court buildings across the country since March.
Abdel Halim Allam, the syndicate’s president, conceded the weak turnout in remarks to the crowd. He pointed the finger at the sub-syndicate councils in Greater Cairo, whom he had counted on to rally support. “They let us down in many things,” he said, while thanking those who travelled from other provinces to attend.
Factions and frictions
Wael Abdel Malak, a human rights lawyer who secured a court ruling against the fees earlier this year, said the divisions were rooted in a power struggle between Allam’s supporters and allies of his predecessor, Sameh Ashour.
“There are electoral motives at play,” Abdel Malak told Al Manassa. “Ashour’s group wants to show Allam’s council has failed to resolve the crisis.”
He added that the delay in branch-level elections had sharpened the rivalry, with each bloc seeking to control local structures that could influence the next presidential race.
While Allam avoided direct mention of internal rifts, chants at the protest referenced him personally for the first time—a marked departure from earlier demonstrations focused solely on the fees. Slogans such as “Allam, say it loud, the fees are not legal!” echoed through the street.
Mixed response in provinces
Images posted by the syndicate’s official Facebook page showed scattered protests in several governorates, including Sohag, North and South Dakahlia, Beheira, Matrouh, Beni Suef, Assiut, and North Sinai.
Low turnout at lawyers’ protest outside Kafr El-Sheikh courthouse on June 23, 2025.But Abdel Malak said turnout across most regional chapters was minimal, particularly in areas led by Ashour loyalists. In Mansoura, where he is based, he claimed many lawyers hadn’t even heard of the protest. Some local councils, he alleged, either failed to share the announcement or posted it late at night.
Al Manassa contacted Sameh Ashour for comment but received no response.
Beyond professional interests
In his speech, Allam pushed back against any framing of the protest as a sectoral dispute, insisting it was a matter of constitutional principle. He argued that the automation fees—first imposed in March by the Cairo Court of Appeals—undermined access to justice and the right to legal defence.
He also defended a general assembly, which was annulled by Egypt’s administrative court last week, asserting that the syndicate had followed all proper procedures. “There was no procedural flaw—we complied with everything,” he said.
The Administrative Court on June 19 ordered the suspension of an emergency general assembly meeting of the Lawyers Syndicate, which had been called on May 15 and was due to convene on June 21. The meeting aimed to vote on strikes or sit-ins protesting the new fees, yet the court ruled the Syndicate's decision was without legal basis, arguing such actions would disrupt justice and infringe on the right to litigation.
Allam added that the syndicate would soon release the results of a nationwide survey on whether to proceed with a general strike and sit-ins at branch offices. A final decision is expected on Wednesday.
The automation fee dispute dates back to early March, when Judge Mohamed Nasr Sayed, president of the Cairo Court of Appeals, issued a directive introducing new charges under the guise of service modernization. Lawyers were required to pay a 33-pound fee for each document submitted under a new category called “portfolio review.”
Additional costs included 60.5 pounds for certificate issuance and 242 pounds for obtaining an enforceable copy of court rulings, according to syndicate board member Rabie El-Malwany.
The Lawyers Syndicate quickly condemned the decision, calling it unconstitutional and financially punitive. On March 8, the general council formally rejected the fees and threatened to suspend all financial transactions with court treasuries as an initial form of protest.
In a statement at the time, the syndicate warned that the fees “created numerous problems that infringe on the constitutionally protected right to litigation and harm the interests of both citizens and lawyers.” The council also criticized judicial authorities for failing to consult with the syndicate before implementing the new fees, despite the lawyer’s constitutional role as a partner in the justice system.
The syndicate now awaits the outcome of a nationwide consultation on whether to proceed with a full work stoppage and sit-ins at branch offices. A decision is expected on Wednesday.
