General Information

Compared to the Federal Republic of Germany, the Kingdom of Bhutan has a very simple, civil, and non-religious legal system. In addition to the country’s highest courts, the Supreme Court and the High Court in the capital city of Thimphu, there are several so-called District Courts that have jurisdiction over individual districts (dzongkas) of the country.

In Bhutan, there is no obligation to be represented by an attorney in court. Any adult citizen of the country may bring a case—whether civil or criminal—before the court themselves, defend themselves in court, or be represented by a third party or a so-called “Jabmi” (see below).

The languages of the courts are Sonkha (Bhutanese) and English.

The country’s lawyers, most of whom were educated abroad, work either for the government (as civil servants, ministers and diplomats) or at the High Court (e.g. as judges).

There are currently approximately 200 licensed practicing attorneys in the capital. The Bar Association in Thimphu maintains a list of attorneys practicing in Bhutan.

A distinctive feature of Bhutan is the professional group known as “pleaders” (Jabmi): They possess extensive knowledge of court proceedings and act as advisors and mediators for parties in court, without, however, being licensed attorneys. There are currently approximately 350 Jabmis in the Kingdom of Bhutan who serve in the country’s District Courts.

List of Lawyers in Bhutan

We have compiled the following list of lawyers for your reference.

All provided information is non-binding and subject to change. When retaining a lawyer, the client is responsible for all costs and fees.

Lawyers are listed in alphabetical order. Information regarding the lawyers’ areas of practice and languages of correspondence is provided by the lawyers themselves and cannot be guaranteed by the missions.

All information is based on data available to the missions at the time of writing.