Entering into contracts with advocates in the FLA system: new terms and obligations

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has updated the Procedure and Conditions for Entering into Contracts with Advocates Who Provide Free Secondary Legal Aid, approved by Resolution No. 8 dated January 11, 2012.

The relevant amendments were introduced by Resolution No. 1139 of September 17, 2026 and took effect on September 22.

In particular, the conditions under which the center for the provision of free legal aid enters into contracts with advocates have changed. From now on, the following will be taken into account:

• the advocate’s compliance with the requirements of the procedure for professional development of Ukrainian advocates regarding the completion of mandatory credit hours for training on the Rules of Attorney Ethics and on the provision of free legal aid for the most recent completed reporting year;
• the absence during the year of decisions by quality assessment commissions regarding the completeness and timeliness of advocates’ provision of free legal aid, which have established violations by advocates of the quality standards for providing free secondary legal aid and have submitted proposals to the Center to remove the advocate from the Register of Advocates Providing Free Secondary Legal Aid and/or to terminate the contract with him or her.

Changes have also been made to the template for a sample agreement with an advocate who provides free secondary legal aid. The advocate’s obligations to the center have been specified in greater detail; specifically, the list of circumstances that the advocate must report to the center has been expanded:

• suspension or termination of the right to practice law;
• imposition of a disciplinary sanction on the advocate;
• a change in the advocate’s last name, first name, or patronymic (if applicable);
• a change in the number and date of issuance of the certificate authorizing the practice of law and the name of the authority that issued it;
• a change in bank account information.

The notification must be made immediately, but no later than three calendar days from the date the relevant circumstances arise.

The provisions regarding the possible removal of an advocate from the Register of Advocates Providing Free Secondary Legal Aid have also been amended. While the previous version linked such a consequence to a breach of the terms of the agreement and a decision by the Coordination Center for the Provision of Legal Aid, the new version now refers to an advocate’s failure to perform or improper performance of the terms of the agreement. Removal from the Register is carried out in accordance with the procedure established by law.

The procedure for determining the amount of the agreement has also been clarified. Previously, it was possible to adjust this amount depending on the scope of free secondary legal aid actually provided. Under the new version, the contract amount is defined as the total cost of services provided by the advocate to individuals entitled to such aid at a specified time and place, pursuant to separate service agreements and expense reimbursement agreements.

From now on, the contract may also be concluded in electronic form in compliance with the requirements of the Ukrainian laws «On electronic documents and electronic document management» and «On electronic identification and electronic trust services».