Dalia’s Struggle:
A Journey to Becoming a Lawyer in Iran
My name is Dalia, and since childhood, I have dreamt of becoming a lawyer. Growing up in Tehran, I envisioned myself in courtrooms, advocating for justice, and making a tangible difference in people’s lives. However, the path to achieving this dream in Iran has been anything but smooth.
In Iran, the legal profession is notoriously difficult to break into. The legal profession seems easy to get in but when I looked at the data that says over 700,000 law graduates are unemployed, with the majority being women like myself, I thought maybe they weren’t good enough
With the bar exam, a critical step towards becoming a lawyer, has an alarmingly low acceptance rate which no one talks about when you’re trying for it, people just think it should be hard cause it’s law, and it is normal that the acceptance rate is so low.
Let me demonstrate, In 1400, out of 72,000 candidates, only 7,000 were accepted. In 1402, 100,000 candidates took the exam, but only 13,508 passed. This translates to a disheartening acceptance rate of 9%. Comparatively, countries like Japan, the Philippines, and the United States have much higher acceptance rates, making our struggle even more apparent.
The situation is particularly challenging for women. Despite more women than men applying for the bar exam, the acceptance rate for women is significantly lower. In Tehran, for instance, 12,989 women took the bar exam in 1402 compared to 10,771 men, yet far fewer women were accepted. This gender disparity was a constant reminder of the biases we face in this field.
Dalia said: I vividly remember the day I received my rejection letter after my first bar exam attempt. It was a crushing blow. I had poured my heart and soul into my studies, sacrificing sleep and social life, only to be told that I didn’t make the cut. But I refused to give up. I tried again the following year, and the year after that, each time facing the same outcome. The bar association’s stringent acceptance criteria, compounded by a quota system favoring certain groups, made the path even more challenging.
In 1400, the government introduced new regulations to address the problem, allowing the bar and notary exams to be held without capacity limits. Candidates needed to score at least 70% of the average top scores to be accepted. However, these changes barely made a dent in the overwhelming number of rejections.
Our academic journey was equally fraught with challenges. The quality of university education in Iran is poor, particularly in the legal field. Our curriculum lacked practical skills and specialized courses essential for becoming competent lawyers. Professors often provided uninspired teaching, especially in English, which hampered our ability to acquire necessary language skills early on.
Noushin, a fellow student, once told me, “The lack of sufficient education and specific programs to attract individuals to the legal profession is a significant issue. Our professors don’t inspire us; they just go through the motions.“
After enduring numerous challenges, graduates face new obstacles in job hunting. Many of us weren’t taught basic abilities for working in teams or international offices. Overconfident graduates avoided working internationally, fearing failure, while others lacked the confidence to step outside their comfort zones. I felt both frustrated and unprepared. Despite my academic achievements, I struggled with basic skills such as legal writing, negotiation, and digital literacy.
The impact of international sanctions further isolated us from the global community. Access to online libraries and resources was restricted, making it difficult to stay updated with the latest legal developments. The psychological toll was immense, often leaving us demotivated and uncertain about our future.
Reyhaneh, a friend from Tehran, once confided in me, “I need to develop skills in negotiation, body language, and argumentation to pioneer my career, but I don’t know where to start.”
Ahmad, another colleague, highlighted the need for better training in legal writing and document review, skills that were glaringly absent from our education. As someone who recruits candidates, he also emphasized the inadequacy of CVs and cover letters among fresh graduates. “This is an essential skill to promote,” he said.
Despite these overwhelming challenges, we remained determined. We sought guidance from experienced professionals, both within Iran and internationally. We explored every possible avenue to gain the necessary skills and knowledge. However, the journey remained arduous, and our efforts often felt like they were in vain.
Determined to make sense of these hurdles, I decided to step back and analyze the situation more objectively. By breaking down the barriers to career advancement in Iran’s legal field, I hoped to gain insights that could help not just myself, but others in my position