Bar reform can cast a long shadow on the achievements of self-government

Advocacy
14:45 Tue 28.11.17 815 Reviews
Print

The draft amendments to the Law “On the Bar and Practice of Law”, developed under the auspices of the Judicial Reform Council without taking into account the position of the national Bar, present the risk of the destruction of the bar self-government system.

That is how the UNBA, BCU Vice President Valentyn Gvozdiy commented the progress of the Bar reform in his interview for the newspaper “Zakon i Biznes” (Law and Business).

Valentyn Gvozdiy is convinced that the document proposes to actually destroy the bar self-government and nullify all the achievements of the 5-year effective operation of the entire system.

Currently advocates have no doubts about the establishment and expediency of the UNBA functioning. The UNBA has not only strengthened institutionally but also received international recognition, joined the International Bar Association, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, the Union Internationale des Avocats, and has established 18 representative offices abroad.

On November 17 the UNBA has celebrated the 5th anniversary of the independent, professional organization by holding a large-scale international conference.

“Within such a short period the Bar community managed to build an organization that is being spoken of far beyond Ukraine”, - the newspaper quotes Valentyn Gvozdiy.

During the speeches advocates named the main UNBA’s achievements, namely, the creation of the Unified Register of Advocates of Ukraine, which is a unique database of reliable data about the advocates; improvement of the work of the UNBA committees and establishment of a system of continuous legal education of advocates.

The transparency of work of the bar self-government bodies is of paramount importance. The UNBA, BCU Secretariat annually publishes consolidated financial statements on the UNBA official website.

During the conference, the report “UNBA: 5 Years of Success” was presented, which contains information on the main achievements of the Ukrainian Bar and the advantages of the bar self-government system established in accordance with the effective Law “On the Bar and Practice of Law”.

Full text of the publication can be found at: http://zib.com.ua/ua/130954-reforma_advokaturi_mozhe_perekresliti_zdobutki_samovryaduvan.html

Popular news

Another conflict with the TCC: an advocate's leg was broken and his client jumped out of a window

Advocacy

Another conflict with the TCC: an advocate's leg was broken and his client jumped out of a window

On June 19, at the premises of the military medical commission, where a bus from the Krasnograd Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support delivered several people, an incident occurred involving the use of physical force against an advocate.

13:34 Fri 20.06.25 107
The Bar Council of Ukraine appealed to the High Council of Justice due to delays in forming the Competition Commission of the HQCJ

Advocacy

The Bar Council of Ukraine appealed to the High Council of Justice due to delays in forming the Competition Commission of t…

On June 13, 2025, Lidiya Izovitova, President of the Bar Council of Ukraine, addressed Grigory Usik, Head of the High Council of Justice, regarding the violation of the deadlines for forming a new composition of the Competition Commission for the selection of members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine.

17:29 Fri 13.06.25 119
UNBA calls for compliance with Council of Europe standards for the legal profession

Advocacy

UNBA calls for compliance with Council of Europe standards for the legal profession

The recently approved roadmap for EU accession in terms of bar reform refers to non-existent European standards and was adopted in violation of international principles. Therefore, before talking about changes, it is necessary to compare the current model of the bar with the Council of Europe standards embodied in the Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer.

14:19 Fri 06.06.25 125
Mobilization of advocates in court: UNBA records another case of pressure

Advocacy

Mobilization of advocates in court: UNBA records another case of pressure

The Ukrainian advocacy has once again faced extrajudicial influence on advocates with the aim of obstructing the exercise of their legitimate powers related to the provision of professional legal assistance to clients.

16:35 Fri 30.05.25 204
BCU demands verification of authenticity of SSU letter on «dangerous» advocacy

Advocacy

BCU demands verification of authenticity of SSU letter on «dangerous» advocacy

The Bar Council of Ukraine will appeal to the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, regarding the verification of information about «negative trends in the legal profession» disseminated by some media outlets on behalf of the SSU.

17:34 Wed 14.05.25 156
Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Advocate open for signature

Advocacy

Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Advocate open for signature

Thirteen member states of the Council of Europe have signed the Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Advocate, which was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on March 12, 2025. Four more countries will do so today. Ukraine is not among them.

9:28 Wed 14.05.25 185
BCU initiates resolution of the issue of visits by advocates to convicted persons

Advocacy

BCU initiates resolution of the issue of visits by advocates to convicted persons

Article 110 of the Criminal Enforcement Code guarantees convicted persons confidentiality of meetings with their advocate. One of the important elements is the possibility to communicate with an advocate in a room without a solid partition. In practice, this provision of the law is systematically violated.

12:32 Wed 07.05.25 136
Advocates, academics, and experts examine problems in forensic examination (video)

Advocacy

Advocates, academics, and experts examine problems in forensic examination (video)

The Ukrainian National Bar Association, in cooperation with leading scientific and research institutes of forensic expertise, organized a round table on expert support for legal practice.

14:39 Mon 05.05.25 159

Надішліть файл із текстом публікації у форматі *.doc, фотографію за тематикою у розмірі 640х400 та Ваше фото.

Оберіть файл