«The fact of having such an advanced justice system lies in the fact that no one is left without a defense in the face of a legal conflict. This is the greatness of the Rule of Law and of its robed protagonists». This was stated this Monday by the King at the opening of the commemorative events of the 425th anniversary of the Madrid Bar Association (ICAM) at the Royal Theater in Madrid.
During his speech, Don Felipe has summoned the 339 lawyers who have formalized their commitment to the profession and their loyalty to the King to assert fundamental rights as an act of service to society and to defend Justice as a supreme value. The act that summons us today is not only a celebration of a very important event.
It also has a deep meaning for all members (…). You have just made the promise or oath of compliance with the Constitution and the rest of the legal system, which, without a doubt, implies assuming a lifelong commitment that will mark your professional path. A path, he has said, in which professional freedom and independence “are inalienable”, since in them “lies the essence of good work and the best technique”.
Felipe VI, who also received a special recognition for his 25 years as an honorary member of the ICAM, recalled that “the exercise of jurisdictional power by each judge or magistrate, judging or having the judgment executed, is nourished by the participation of the Lawyer” .
Before an auditorium that has counted with the presence, among other authorities, of the former presidents of the Government Felipe González and José María Aznar, both members of the ICAM; the presidents of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court, Carlos Lesmes and Pedro González-Trevijano; the Minister of Justice, Pilar Llop; or the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, also a collegiate, the King has had a special mention to the lawyers of the duty. They watch over, he has pointed out, the correct application of the Law «in defense of the most disadvantaged or vulnerable».
For his part, the dean of ICAM, José María Alonso, thanked Don Felipe for being the “first defender of the State and respect for the rules that make up our legal system, starting with our Constitution; defense of the rule of law and compliance with the laws that constitutes the ultimate raison d’être of our profession and of our practice as lawyers.
Alonso has guaranteed the Monarch that Madrid Lawyers “will always be by his side in defense of the principle of legality.” The dean recalled that the Illustrious Bar Association of Madrid was founded, under the name “Congregation of Lawyers of the Court”, by King Philip II in 1596, two years before his death.
“In this way, a seamless line is established between the two Royal Houses that have been at the forefront of Spain’s destinies for five centuries: the House of Austria, at our birth, and the House of Bourbon, at our 425th birthday. . Personally, I am convinced that the reign of Her Majesty will be remembered in the future with the same respect and admiration as that of that great King who was Philip II is today”, he said.
Alonso has defended the role of lawyers not as collaborators, but as “an integral part of the Administration of Justice, such as judges, prosecutors, lawyers of the Administration of Justice or attorneys.”
