Tomorrow’s lawyers join the discussion on reforming the justice system among lawyers in Ivano-Frankivsk
On 7 November, the IV Carpathian Law Forum on ‘ Barristers and Justice in Times of Change’ was held at King Danylo University. The event brought together representatives of the bar, the judiciary, the prosecution service, the academic community, civil society and experts, as well as teachers and students in a professional discussion.
‘Together, we are laying the foundation for a new democratic society where justice, law, and humanity prevail. Thank you all for your participation, support, and contribution to the development of legal education and our state,’ said Myroslav Lutsky, Rector of King Danylo University, in his welcoming speech.
The topics of the panel discussions covered the most pressing areas of development in the legal sphere: ‘The Bar of the Future: Strategy for the Development of the Professional Community,’ ‘Dialogue for Justice: Lawyer, Court, and Society,’ ‘The Lawyer in Criminal Proceedings under Martial Law (New Challenges – New Tools),’ ‘Between conflict and decision: the lawyer as a guide in civil proceedings.’
Director of the ‘Tomorrow’s Lawyer’ Daria Pysarenko had the honour of being the first speaker at the opening panel on ‘The Bar of the Future: Strategy for the Development of the Professional Community’. In her speech, she analysed the European Commission’s Enlargement Report, which, in particular, emphasises the need to initiate reform of the Bar in order to ensure transparency and trust in the procedures for forming Bar self-government bodies.
Daria focused specifically on the role of lawyers in the process of reforming and establishing new principles for the functioning of the legal profession, emphasising that it is the legal community that should be the driving force behind change in the professional environment.
A welcoming speech was delivered to the forum participants by Dmytro Kukhniuk, lawyer, associate professor of the Department of Justice at the Institute of Law of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Head of the National Mediation and Reconciliation Service, Dmytro Kukhnyk, an expert of the ‘’Tomorrow’s Lawyer’ , who noted the importance of open professional discussion on the reform of the legal profession and expressed his hope that the forum would be another step towards the implementation of systemic changes in this area.
The first panel also included lawyer, graduate of the ‘Tomorrow’s Lawyer’ programme, Dmytro Ostapenko, who focused on the problems of the implementation of powers by bar self-government bodies, analysed the current system of professional development for lawyers, and also drew attention to the position of self-government bodies regarding lawyers who have joined the defence forces, emphasising the inappropriateness of the requirement to suspend their licences.
The reform of the bar will be a complex and comprehensive process that will require more and more opportunities for dialogue and platforms. King Danylo University deserves recognition for its initiative and high level of organisation of the event dedicated to topical issues of the development of the bar and justice, as well as for its constant attention to the professional growth of the legal community in Ukraine.
‘This is an extremely important event, which we improve every year, looking for new formats to engage participants. For students, this is a great opportunity to prove themselves and develop their professional skills and abilities,’ said Yevhen Pysmenskyi, Vice-Rector for Research at King Danylo University.
