Romanian lawyers of the mainstream bar return to work on Friday after four days of strike against the existence of parallel bars, the ban of which they’ve been calling. The decision to stop the strike one day in advance was made after the Superior Council of Magistrates and the High Court Prosecutor’s Office explained their position on the conflict.

The Council said it would try to identify court decision that “generated a non-unitary judiciary practice”, which members of the mainstream bar - The National Union of Bars in Romania (UNBR) - said was connected to a parallel organization, the Constitutional Bar.

UNBR head Calin Zamfirescu has said the strike was decided because a solution to the process in which the banning of the Constitutional Bar was requested was unacceptably late.

But the strike had another facet: if a court decision is made saying the so-called parallel bars are illegal, than all their member lawyers might lose the right to work in this field. That would bring more clients and more money to the members of the mainstream bar, who are well-known for the protectiveness of their jobs.

If the alternative bars are considered legal, than Romania would have multiple bars to represent its lawyers, which is against the current trends in the European Union.