Problems of implementation of the Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer discussed in the Verkhovna Rada

On April 16, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy held a joint working meeting to discuss the feasibility of implementing the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer and introducing the necessary amendments to the current legislation.

The event was attended by Lidiya Izovitova, the President of the UNBA, BCU, Valentyn Gvozdiy, the Vice President of the UNBA, BCU, Igor Kolesnikov, the Secretary of the UNBA, Anna Lazarchuk, the member of the UNBA, Vadym Krasnyk, the Head of the UNBA Secretariat, Andriy Misiats, the acting Head of the High Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of the Bar and Viktor Vovnyuk, the Head of the Secretariat of the Commission.

The organizers explained the relevance of the event by saying that the adoption of the convention demonstrates the European community's increased attention to ensuring the independence of lawyers and their professional associations. In addition, the parliament receives appeals related to ensuring guarantees of the independence of the bar, protection of lawyers and the rule of law in Ukraine.

As a reminder, the Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer, as an international legal document, for the first time establishes legally binding guarantees for lawyers, including:

• protection from harassment, pressure and unlawful restrictions;
• the right to free exercise of professional activity without fear of reprisals;
• guarantees of preservation of the attorney-client privilege;
• unimpeded access to clients;
• protection from unreasonable state interference in human rights activities.

Today, violations of the rights of lawyers in Ukraine are systemic and occur on a daily basis, - L. Izovitova emphasized in her report. - There are numerous cases of interference in the practice of law by pre-trial investigation bodies, attempts to discredit lawyers in the public space, obstruction of access to clients, violation of attorney-client privilege, as well as threats and intimidation of lawyers, identification of lawyers with their clients, in particular, those lawyers who provide defense in high-profile or «unpopular» cases. In response to these challenges, the Ukrainian National Bar Association has independently created a mechanism for monitoring violations of the rights of lawyers.

The President of the UNBA, BCU said that in 2024 the association received 88 appeals with allegations of violations of professional rights and guarantees of the practice of law. And in the first quarter of this year alone, there were already 25 of them.

Cases of state interference in human rights activities have increased, in particular:

• bringing advocates to criminal liability for their legal position in cases, including in connection with the preparation by the advocate of procedural documents in the cases of his or her client
• identification with clients;
• listening to telephone conversations;
• inspection and seizure of documents containing the attorney-client privilege;
• interrogation of advocates as witnesses when they are defense counsels in the same cases;
• infliction of bodily harm to lawyers while providing legal aid.

«We regularly appeal to the President, the Verkhovna Rada, law enforcement agencies and international organizations to take action. But without enshrining international guarantees at the legislative level, this is not enough, - noted L. Izovitova. - Given the daily cases of violations of the rights of lawyers, it is extremely important that the Convention becomes binding for Ukraine as soon as possible».

Pursuant to Article 17 of the Convention, it is open for signature by member states of the Council of Europe, non-member states that participated in its development, and the European Union. Ukraine is a full member of the Council of Europe and participated in the development of the Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer.

«Supporting this convention is a signal to the whole society that the state recognizes the role of the bar as an equal and independent element of the justice system and really seeks to strengthen legal institutions», - summarized the President of the UNBA, BCU.

In this regard, the UNBA appealed to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy with a request:

1. To initiate the issue of ratification of the Convention in the Parliament of Ukraine;
2. Support all necessary procedures for its prompt consideration;
3. To join the development of relevant amendments to national legislation.

Valentyn Gvozdiy, who was a representative of Ukraine in the Committee of Experts of the Council of Europe on the drafting of the international treaty, made a presentation on the content and legal consequences of the implementation of the Convention for MPs and other participants of the meeting.