ORDERS AND PROFESSIONAL COLLEGES. — O. e c. p. (the former for professions whose practice requires a doctoral degree and the latter for those for which a diploma suffices) are public legal entities established by law. Registration in them, under the prescribed conditions, constitutes both a subjective right and a prerequisite for the legitimate practice of a profession.
The first such system in Italy dates to 1874, for lawyers and procurators; others followed until they were suspended under the Fascist syndical regime, only to be reconstituted after its collapse: for lawyers and procurators, notaries, physicians-surgeons, veterinarians, chemists, pharmacists, midwives, engineers, architects, professionals in economics and commerce, actuaries, agronomists, accountants, surveyors, agricultural experts, and industrial experts.
With autonomous organization, they oversee the dignity and freedom of professional practice and have as their characteristic functions: a) the custody of the *albi*, i.e., the formation and maintenance of lists of those qualified to practice; b) disciplinary authority over their members, akin in part to that of public administration over its employees, though not identical, since members of the *albi* are free professionals not bound by any employment or subordinate labor relationship. Sanctions range from simple warnings to removal from the register. Another power is fiscal, with the imposition of authorized fees within their sphere. They may also perform advisory functions, certification, designation of representatives for the profession, conciliation between professionals and between them and their clients, cultural activities, etc.
Their internal structure and functioning are largely uniform, with some differentiation for certain professions, e.g., notaries in matters of disciplinary procedure due to the public nature of their profession; lawyers and procurators (now unified), organized by court districts rather than provinces as is usual; and health professions, which are distinct but linked by a federal structure. At the Ministry of Grace and Justice, a central commission exists for lawyers and procurators—the Superior Council of the Bar—and for health professionals, a commission under the High Commissioner for Hygiene and Health. Representation of orders and colleges is also provided, among other bodies, in the committees for the registers of "technical consultants" to judges.
A special system, likely to be revised soon, governs the registers and discipline of journalists (ordinarily bound by employment contracts). See also PROFESSIONI INTELLETTUALI.