Purpose

The aim of the present study is to shed light on the role of legal practitioners, namely, lawyers and notaries, in the fight against money laundering: Are they considered as facilitators or obstacles against money laundering? How does the global and the EU legal framework deal with the legal professionals?

Design/methodology/approach

The research follows a deductive approach attempting to respond to questions such as: How do the lawyers’ and notaries’ societies react in front of the anti-money laundering measures that concern them and why? What are the discrepancies between the lawyers’ professional secrecy and the obligations that EU anti-money laundering legislation assigns them?

Findings

This study disclosures the response of the European union and international legal and regulatory framework as well as the reflexes of the international and European legal professionals’ associations to this danger. It also demonstrates the reaction of lawyers against European union anti-money laundering legislation, to the point that it limits not only the confidentiality principle but also the position of the European judicial systems to the contradiction between this principle and the lawyers’ obligation to report their suspicions to the authorities.

Research limitations/implications

To fulfil the study goals, it was necessary to overcome some obstacles, like the limitation of existing sources. Indeed, transnational empirical research considering the professionals who facilitate money laundering is narrow. Besides, policymakers and academics only recently expressed more interest in money laundering and its facilitators.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils an identified need to study the legal professionals’ role not only in money laundering practices but also in anti-money laundering policies.

中文翻译：

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法律专业人士在欧洲和国际反洗钱法律和监管框架中的作用

目的

本研究的目的是阐明法律从业人员（即律师和公证人）在打击洗钱活动中的作用：他们被视为打击洗钱活动的促进者还是障碍？全球和欧盟法律框架如何处理法律专业人士的问题？

设计/方法/途径

该研究采用演绎法，试图回答以下问题：律师和公证人协会如何应对与其相关的反洗钱措施？为什么？律师的职业保密与欧盟反洗钱立法赋予他们的义务之间有何差异？

发现

本研究披露了欧盟和国际法律和监管框架的反应，以及国际和欧洲法律专业人士协会对这种危险的反应。它还显示了律师对欧盟反洗钱立法的反应，以至于它不仅限制了保密原则，而且还限制了欧洲司法系统对这一原则与律师报告其行为的义务之间的矛盾的立场。对当局的怀疑。

研究局限性/影响

为了实现研究目标，有必要克服一些障碍，例如现有资源的限制。事实上，考虑到为洗钱提供便利的专业人员的跨国实证研究是狭窄的。此外，政策制定者和学者最近才对洗钱及其协助者表现出更多兴趣。

原创性/价值

本文满足了研究法律专业人士不仅在洗钱实践中而且在反洗钱政策中的作用的明确需要。