Avignon-based lawyer Nadia El Bouroumi has been handed a one-year suspended suspension by the regional disciplinary council of the Nîmes Court of Appeal. The hearing took place on February 19, and the decision was announced this Wednesday. A harsher sanction—an 18-month suspension without reprieve—had initially been requested. The council cited multiple breaches of the ethical rules governing the legal profession. Chief among them: El Bouroumi's role as the majority shareholder in a commercial coaching company, an activity considered incompatible with the practice of law. She was also sanctioned for presiding over another company whose business activities overlapped with areas reserved for the legal profession, without being registered with the bar or subject to its oversight. A dispute with another lawyer at the Evry courthouse in May 2023 was also held against her. In addition to the suspended suspension, El Bouroumi must complete 20 hours of ethics training. She is also prohibited from holding any representative role within the bar association or the National Bar Council. However, she was acquitted of charges related to posting courtroom photos on social media. In a statement shared Wednesday evening on Instagram, El Bouroumi confirmed that she will appeal the ruling: «I have decided to appeal. Because I will always fight for a broader, evolving definition of a lawyer's role. In 2025, we cannot reduce our profession to a static practice, disconnected from economic, social, and human realities». The case predates the high-profile Mazan rape trial, during which El Bouroumi gained attention for posting videos on Instagram following court hearings. These posts sparked controversy and led her to file a police complaint over threats and harassment. Born in Toulouse, El Bouroumi grew up in a large Moroccan family. Forced into marriage at the age of 16, she was forced to interrupt her studies before reclaiming control of her life. After working as a sales assistant and hairdresser, she resumed her legal studies, ultimately earning her degree and being admitted to the bar in 2008.
