Access to the advocate profession: a subgroup has identified the direction of change

On Monday, March 16, a meeting was held of the subgroup «Access to the profession and training of advocates. Organizational forms of legal practice» of the Working Group on the implementation of the Rule of Law Roadmap.

The meeting was opened by the Vice President of the UNBA, BCU Oleksiy Kukhar. He reminded participants that they had previously divided the areas to be addressed among themselves: issues related to the bar exam and its organization, internships, as well as a comparative analysis of European models of access to the profession and digital tools.

The President of the UNBA, BCU Lidiya Izovitova joined the discussion. She drew the participants’ attention to the fact that the subgroup is working on the initial sections of the future regulatory update, so it is important to start with the basic definitions and logic of the law. In particular, the discussion focused on the need to clearly define the professional status of an advocate and link it to the entry of information into the Unified Register of Advocates of Ukraine as a key element of the system. Separate emphasis was placed on the need to align national regulations with the approaches applied in European Union countries.

Digital components of access to the profession also became a topic of discussion for subgroup members. A general model for preliminary professional testing should serve as a tool for a uniform standard of knowledge and additional transparency. But how can such a procedure be organized and technically implemented without creating unequal conditions and without the risks of over-formalization? In this context, a balance must be maintained between norms explicitly enshrined in law and procedural details that are more logically addressed in regulations and provisions approved by the Bar Council of Ukraine.

Regarding the qualifying exam, the advocates discussed general approaches to the procedure and communication with candidates, particularly through personalized electronic tools. Meeting participants also raised the issues of internships and organizational forms of legal practice, emphasizing that changes must take into account real socio-economic conditions and the accessibility of the profession, without turning mandatory training stages into a formality.

As a result, they agreed to continue working at a steady pace, collect proposals and ideas through an agreed-upon communication channel, and return separately to the topic of internships and related procedural decisions at the next meeting.

As a reminder, the Rule of Law Roadmap was approved by Cabinet of Ministers Order No. 475-r dated May 14, 2025. By Resolution No. 125 of the BCU dated December 12, 2025, the Program for its implementation regarding the reform of advocacy was approved, and a working group was established.