10 changes necessary for the implementation of the Convention on the protection of the profession of advocate

Most of the standards enshrined in the Convention on the protection of the profession of advocate have already been implemented in Ukrainian legislation. At the same time, in order to ensure a higher level of guarantees for the independence of advocacy, certain amendments should be made to the codes and the relevant law.

During the ХV International scientific and practical conference «Advocacy: past, present and future» held today in Odesa, the Vice President of the UNBA, BCU Valentin Gvozdiy outlined the legislative steps that Ukraine will need to take to fully implement the Council of Europe Convention, which will be open for signature in May 2025.

V. Gvozdiy reported that in August 2025, the Ukrainian National Bar Association prepared and published a detailed comparative table on the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with the provisions of the Convention. The analysis confirmed that the current Law «On the advocacy and legal practice» is generally consistent with the provisions of the document and does not contain any contradictions. At the same time, a number of amendments to procedural and special legislation could further strengthen the guarantees of independence of advocacy.

These changes are as follows:

1) extension of the guarantees provided for in Article 23 of the Law to assistants, trainees, employees of law firms, as well as persons whose right to practice law has been terminated or suspended or who have been unlawfully denied such a right;

2) supplementing Article 45 of the Law with special guarantees for the protection of the life, health, honor, and dignity of persons working in the UNBA and bar self-government bodies or involved in their activities;

3) establishing in the Law the obligation of the state to conduct timely and effective consultations with advocacy on changes in legislation that directly affect the profession;

4) amending the Code of Civil Procedure and the Code of Administrative Procedure to make it impossible to apply procedural coercion measures to advocates in cases of conscientious performance of professional duties;

5) including advocate-client privilege in the list of information protected by law in Article 162 of the Code of Criminal Procedure;

6) introducing a separate article in the Code of Criminal Procedure on the specifics of criminal proceedings against advocates, including the procedure for detention, the selection of preventive measures, and the conduct of investigative actions;

7) clarification of Article 233 of the CPC regarding entry into a advocate's home or office exclusively with their voluntary consent or by order of an investigating judge;

8) the obligation of the National Police to inform regional bar associations of known cases of attacks or murders of advocates if there are grounds to link them to professional activities;

9) the possibility of participation by representatives of the UNBA in closed court hearings in cases where there are grounds to believe that they are related to the professional activities of an advocate;

10) introduction of the concept of «potential client» into legislation — for the proper protection of communication with a person who has sought legal assistance but has not yet entered into a contract.

As V. Gvozdiy emphasized, the implementation of these proposals will create conditions for more effective and secure work by advocates, especially in complex or sensitive cases, and will contribute to strengthening public confidence in the legal profession and the judicial system in general.

It should be noted that the text of the Convention was developed over three years by the Committee of experts on the protection of advocates (CJ-AV), which was established by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. This body consisted of 15 representatives from different countries (judges, prosecutors, advocates, civil servants, researchers) with in-depth knowledge of legislation, policy, and practice relating to the professional activities of advocates. Ukraine was represented on this Committee by V. Gvozdiy, who was elected as vice-president.