There has not been enough reflection to understand the disintegration of Ecuador’s democracy and its justice system, in the crisis the legal profession is going through. This is a structural and terrifying crisis. In the most scandalous cases of corruption, the protagonists are lawyers. Even the great strategists are frauds of the constitution and obstacles that permanently prevent the functioning of institutions. For some time now, a large part of the country’s universities have been dedicated to training inklingists, not lawyers.

Lawyers are rallying around a protective lawsuit that seeks to ‘definitely suspend’ the competition for the selection of seven judges of the National Court

To a large extent, Ecuadorian lawyers have become a flamboyant strain: they wrap themselves in pompous, brightly colored suits, jewelry, flashy glasses to appear more intelligent, and lots of gel to at least make their hair shine. Not to mention their cars, an issue where size matters a lot. Many are not ashamed to offer clients an absolute victory in the case, in exchange for substantial sums of money, which includes compensation for the corrupt judiciary. They generally tend towards a tasteless sophistication that makes them very masculine, in pure Pasión de gavilanes style.

Perhaps there would be hope if universities would truly dedicate themselves to training lawyers and hiring professors who are.

They look for a way – and almost always find it – to be hired by a university to put on their resumes: University Professor. Always in capital letters. However, they do not have any obligation to teach law or the responsibility to accompany future lawyers in the critical learning process. They do not consider education as a transformative process.

The defamation lawsuit against Soledad Padilla and Ferdinand Álvarez will be promoted by lawyer Juan Francisco Ospina

Universities have a great responsibility in this crisis, not only because of the desire to return to the most commercial, easy and short career, but also because of the utilitarian orientation of study programs for successfully solving procedures. As if the lawyer is just a processor. This crisis has to do with the fact that through university diplomas that are extravagantly hung on the wall, the country receives hundreds of thousands of inks every year. Very few lawyers. A lawyer is someone with ethical and rational tools for thinking about law and justice.

Wilman Terán, member and former member of the Judiciary targeted by Construye for a political trial

Entities that convey the principles of law are slowly disappearing. Roman law is almost non-existent in most universities. All of them aim to train lawyers for litigation, corporate or business lawyers. There is very little training for future judges and judicial officers, perhaps because it is not profitable to strive for the discrediting that bad lawyers have brought to court practice. In fact, there is no judicial career, no competition of judges who can be trusted, and no serious disciplinary procedures for cases of abuse of rights. Unfortunately, a short-term solution will be difficult. Perhaps there would be hope if universities would truly dedicate themselves to training lawyers and hiring professors who are. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to determine the right qualification to obtain a Forum card, as it is currently equivalent to finding one in a cereal box. (OR)