BCU instructed the regions to eliminate gaps in the URAU: 4,200 profiles without email addresses

The Unified Register of Advocates of Ukraine contains 4,200 profiles without an email address. This significantly complicates operational communication between advocates, bar associations, and the Higher School of Advocacy.

During its meeting on October 18, the Bar Council of Ukraine adopted a decision aimed at eliminating this systemic gap.

The member of the BCU from the Rivne region Hanna Lazarchuk, who reported on this issue, emphasized that the absence of email addresses in the register creates serious obstacles in the work of the bar's qualification and disciplinary commissions and the Higher Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of the Advocacy. «This makes it difficult to inform advocates and ensure they receive notifications in a timely manner», - she said.

The BCU approved a specific procedure for regional bar councils. They must notify advocates whose profiles do not contain an email address of the need to submit a corresponding application. There are two ways to do this:

• SMS message to the contact phone number;
• letter to the postal address.

Both contacts are available in the URAU, which ensures guaranteed notification.

The decision of the Bar Council of Ukraine takes into account the martial law in Ukraine. For regional self-government bodies operating in conditions of hostilities or in temporarily occupied territories, the execution of the order is postponed until the cessation of active hostilities. This will avoid legal and practical difficulties with notifying advocates.

According to paragraph 3.1 of the Procedure for maintaining the Unified Register of Lawyers of Ukraine (decision of the BCU No. 74 of 22.08.2022), in addition to the addresses of the advocate's workplaces, contact numbers and email addresses must be entered into the URAU.

By decision of the BCU No. 34 of 8 June 2024, advocates are required to create and register personal electronic accounts on the website of the UNBA and the platform of the Accreditation and certification centre of the HSA within one month of receiving their certificate of entitlement to practise law.

Updating the contact details of advocates in URAU is an important step towards the digitalisation of the bar's self-government and ensuring effective communication in conditions of martial law.