Ratification of the Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer will strengthen the legal system – UNBA

The Ukrainian National Bar Association has called on MPs and relevant ministries to ensure the expedited signing and ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer by Ukraine.

The respective letters were sent to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy Denys Maslov, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Organization and Activities of the Bar and Legal Aid Bodies of the same Committee Volodymyr Vatras, the Permanent Representative of the Verkhovna Rada to the Constitutional Court Maksym Dyrdin, as well as to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice.

As a reminder, on March 12, 2025, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted the first-ever Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer. This international document is key for the legal community, as it establishes mandatory international guarantees of the independence of lawyers, mechanisms for protection against undue pressure and promotes the rule of law.

Ukraine played an active role in the development of the Convention. The European Committee on Legal Cooperation selected a representative from Ukraine - Valentyn Gvozdiy, the Vice President of the UNBA, BCU - to the Committee of Experts on the Protection of Advocates, which worked on the text of the draft and the explanatory report to it for three years. Subsequently, he was elected Vice President of the European Committee of Experts. In this position, he managed to show that, despite everything, Ukraine has high standards of justice, ensures compliance with the rule of law and protection of human rights. Undoubtedly, the many years of active work of the Ukrainian bar, in particular in the field of protection of the rights of lawyers and guarantees of the practice of law, really shows the international community that the legal regulation of the legal profession in Ukraine is based on European standards.

The UNBA is convinced that it is now extremely important to be among the first countries to sign and ratify it.

After all, the ratification of the Convention will have a significant impact on strengthening the legal system of Ukraine, as it will strengthen the guarantees of the independence of the Bar, improve citizens' access to fair trial, and help fight corruption in human rights bodies. It will also be in line with our country's European integration course.

In order to implement the provisions of the Convention, it is necessary to analyze the national legislation for the need to amend, in particular, the Law «On the Bar and Practice of Law» (to provide additional guarantees of independence of lawyers and mechanisms of protection against pressure), the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine (to strengthen the guarantees of attorney-client privilege and immunity of lawyers in criminal proceedings).

As part of the expert assistance, the UNBA expressed its readiness to prepare and hold presentations on the key provisions of the Convention, and assured of maximum support for all legal procedures by the UNBA committees.