UPGRADING THE BAR

PHOTO: yvu.com.ua

Currently there are three draft laws that are aimed at the reform of the Bar registered at the Verkhovna Rada: presidential draft law№9055 (main one) and two alternative ones.

I suggest discussing briefly the main novelties of the law not from the position “what benefits will a lawyer get”, but from the position “what are the benefits to people”.

The draft law introduces many positive changes. In particular, the qualifying exam (almost like External Independent Evaluation) for future lawyers, preventing conflicts of interest (draft law forbids lawyers to provide legal assistance simultaneously to two clients who have conflicting interests), the authorization to participate in any investigation (now the lawyers have access only to open databases, they may be not allowed to communicate with client which makes the defence ineffective), etc.

Tetiana Yushchenko, associate expert of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, attorney at The Patent and Law Agency “Doubinsky & Osharova”.

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