The advocate has one year to remedy the violation regarding professional development

An advocate who has been brought to disciplinary responsibility for failure to fulfill the obligation to improve his professional level must remedy the violation within a year: improve his professional level for all the years in which he failed to fulfill this obligation.

The relevant decision of the Bar Council of Ukraine dated 18.10.2025 No. 112 was published on the UNBA website. The reason for the BCU to consider the issue was an appeal from the director of the UNBA Higher School of Advocacy regarding the need for clarification.

Members of the bar self-government body proceeded from the fact that, according to the Law «On the advocacy and legal practice», improving professional skills is a professional duty of an advocate (clause 4, part 1, Article 21). Maintaining this level is one of the tasks of the bar self-government, which is implemented by the UNBA (Articles 44 and 45 of the Law).

At the same time, violation of the rules of bar ethics, failure to perform or improper performance of professional duties, and failure to comply with the decisions of bar self-government bodies are grounds for bringing an advocate to disciplinary responsibility (part 2 of Article 34).

The decision of the BCU No. 22 of 07.06.2024 established that failure by an advocate to comply with the requirements for professional development in accordance with the established Procedure for professional development of advocates of Ukraine for the reporting calendar year (from January 1 to December 31) and previous years constitutes an independent ongoing disciplinary offense until the time of receipt of electronic certificates of professional development confirming the advocate's compliance with the established requirements for professional development, or the bringing of the person guilty of non-compliance to justice, which terminates the disciplinary offense.

Separately, the BCU noted that even after the person guilty of failing to fulfill their obligations is held accountable, the advocate is still required by law to remedy the violation by fulfilling the obligations established by law for the years in which they did not improve their professional level.

«Disciplinary action does not cancel either the advocate's legal obligation to regularly improve their professional level or the requirement to remedy the violation, - the BCU decision states. - If the obligation to improve professional skills to the level established by law has not been fulfilled in previous years, the advocate continues to be in a state of new (further) failure to fulfill the obligation and decisions of self-government bodies, with all the consequences under Articles 34 and 35 of the Law of Ukraine «On the advocacy and legal practice». The purpose of this requirement is to ensure quality legal assistance as an element of the constitutional right to defense».

Based on the above, Bar Council of Ukraine has decided that advocates who have been subject to disciplinary sanctions for violating their duty to improve their professional level are obliged, within one year from the date of bringing the advocate to disciplinary responsibility, to remedy the violation by fulfilling the statutory duty to improve their professional level for the years in which they did not improve their professional level.