Experts have exceptional potential that should be developed jointly — Lidiya Izovitova

The professions of advocate and expert can and must develop by learning from each other, exchanging experience and best practices. Together, we can build a strong, independent, and effective justice system worthy of a European Ukraine.

This was stated by Lidiya Izovitova, the President of the Ukrainian National Bar Association, at the All-Ukrainian Congress of Court Experts «EXPERT'2025», which is being held today in Kyiv.

She noted that the profession of an expert has unique characteristics, as it brings together representatives of various fields (economists, accountants, doctors, physicists, chemists, builders, psychologists) under a single standard of expert activity. This creates special challenges in terms of qualifications and access to the profession.

In this regard, the President of the UNBA, BCU, highlighted three systemic challenges.

First, excessive narrow specialization. When an expert with deep knowledge in related fields is formally unable to apply it due to bureaucratic restrictions, even though the knowledge overlaps, this is a loss for the entire justice system.

Second, the complexity of adaptation. Cases often require a combination of knowledge from different fields of science and rapid response, and the certification system does not provide the necessary flexibility and speed due to the existing conservatism in approaches.

Thirdly, the creative potential of experts is underestimated. Experts not only apply existing methodologies, but also develop new ones and make scientific discoveries.

However, the professional development system does not yet encourage this innovative activity.

How to create uniform certification standards for different specialties, how to ensure the quality of expert opinions in areas where other participants in the process cannot even assess the depth of professional knowledge—these issues, according to L. Izovitova, characterize the uniqueness of the expert profession and must be addressed jointly. That is why today's discussions are so important.