For candidates for the advocate: BCU has reminded them of the rules for crediting teaching experience

For the purposes of admission to the qualification exam, a candidate's work in scientific and teaching positions may be counted as experience in the field of law only if the position requires legal education.

The relevant clarification was provided by the Bar Council of Ukraine in its decision of October 18, 2025, No. 108, at the request of the chairman of the Bar Council of the Rivne region Serhiy Udovychenko to explain whether scientific and pedagogical experience constitutes legal experience within the meaning of Article 6 of the Law «On the advocacy and the practice of law».

According to this article, one of the requirements for an advocate is at least two years of work experience in the field of law. This experience includes work in the specialty after obtaining a full higher legal education. At the same time, Article 53 of the Law «On higher education» establishes that scientific and pedagogical workers are persons who, at their main place of work in higher education institutions, carry out educational, methodological, scientific (scientific and technical, artistic), and organizational activities.

BCU reminded that, according to the Procedure for admission to the qualification examination, approved by decision No. 270 of 17 December 2013, work experience in the field of law should include work in the positions of scientific and pedagogical or scientific employees who carry out teaching, education, and professional training in vocational, higher, or postgraduate educational institutions, if such positions, according to the qualification requirements, require only a complete higher legal education, not lower than a master's degree (specialist) - second (master's) level, specialty – «law» («jurisprudence», «law enforcement», «international law»).

Thus, work experience in positions specified in the List of positions of pedagogical and scientific-pedagogical workers, approved by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 963 of June 14, 2000, which require only a complete higher legal education (not lower than the specified levels), for the purposes of Article 6 of the Law «On advocacy and the practice of law» should be considered as work experience in the field of law.

Separately, the BCU noted that the Regulations on the organization and procedure for completing an internship to obtain a certificate of the right to practice law, approved by decision No. 80 of June 1, 2018, provide for the right of the regional advocates association to additionally request a list of achievements, job description, or other document confirming the functional duties of the person applying to the bar association for an internship, in order to confirm the person's work experience in the specialty.

In response to another appeal, the Bar Council further clarified (decision No. 110 of October 18, 2025) that the period of obtaining a doctorate in law during postgraduate (adjunct) studies, regardless of the form of study, should also be counted as work experience in the field of law.