How not to waste a year on your path to law practice

A year of work as a paralegal can exempt a future advocate from the internship requirement after successfully passing the bar exam. At the same time, it is important to properly formalize the employment relationship.

This topic was discussed during the webinar «The path to the profession: how to become an advocate, build the foundation of your practice and earn clients’ trust», hosted by the UNBA NextGen in the Kyiv region. The event was moderated by the Committee’s regional representative Oleksandr Khomenko. The speaker was advocate, Doctor of Law and professor Oleksandr Makarenko.

The speaker advised planning active preparation for the qualifying exam approximately six months to a year in advance. In his opinion, one month is not enough for this, while preparing over several years may result in the need to review the material again. At the same time, professional knowledge must be maintained continuously, as legislation and judicial practice are constantly changing.

O. Makarenko drew attention to the role of a law clerk. If, during the year leading up to the exam, a candidate works specifically in this position, they will be exempt from the internship requirement after successfully passing the exam. This saves both time and money.

However, working as a lawyer, legal counsel, or in another position at a law firm or association does not yield the same result. Therefore, a future advocate should take this aspect into account when choosing a place of employment before taking the exam.

Pursuant to Part 5 of Article 10 of the Law «On the advocacy and the practice of law», individuals who, as of the date of filing an application for admission to the qualifying exam, have at least one year of work experience as a paralegal within the last two years are exempt from the internship requirement.

Such work experience must be verified. The appropriate contributions must be paid for the employee, and the employment relationship must be properly formalized. Otherwise, the work actually performed may not be counted as the required work experience.

The speaker also cited an example from his law firm: employees preparing for the exam were formally employed as paralegals, and the firm paid the fees associated with taking the exam and awarded them bonuses. According to him, this approach is an integral part of the firm’s partnership with future advocates.