What Encourages Tomorrow’s Lawyers To Provide Free Legal Aid?
At the beginning of 2018, the results of the IX competition for the selection of lawyers to be admitted to the provision of free legal aid were announced. Among the lawyers who have successfully passed the selection process there were members of the “Tomorrow’s Lawyer” Program.
Spec
ially for Yurydychna Gazeta Weekly (“Legal Newspaper”) Yuliya Lisova talked to each of them to understand why members of the “Tomorrow’s Lawyer” Program wish to associate their future with the system of free legal aid.
Yulia Lisova, Expert of the “Tomorrow’s Lawyer” Program, Head of the Separate Unit of the NGO Bar Association of Free Legal Aid Providers (BALAP).
Let’s admit, nowadays there are not so many platforms in Ukraine uniting lawyers practicing criminal and economic process, family law, and lawyers specializing in extradition matters, or lawyers involved in human rights activities, and attorneys who represent large business structures and politicians. One of the goals of the “Tomorrow’s Lawyer” Program is to establish communication between lawyers from various parts of Ukraine with different backgrounds, different areas and spheres of professional activity. Due to this approach, lawyers who were not aware about free legal aid in Ukraine, after learning some of its aspects in the course of training, as well as talking to colleagues who already provide such assistance, were inspired and took interest in it.
At the beginning of 2018, the results of the IX competition for the selection of lawyers to be admitted to the provision of free legal aid according to the Coordination Centre for the Free Legal Aid Provision, as much as 1031 lawyer has successfully passed the competition. The members of the “Tomorrow’s Lawyer” Program are also among them. We talked to some of them to understand why these lawyers wish to associate their future with the system of free legal aid.
It is significant that for the majority of lawyers interviewed, the “Tomorrow’s Lawyer” Project has become an impetus and inspiration that led them to participation in the competition for the selection of lawyers to be admitted to provide free legal aid.
After communicating with the “Tomorrow’s Lawyers” participants who have joined the free legal aid system, we wish to draw two optimistic conclusions for the future legal profession in general and free legal aid system in particular:
- The presence and constant increase in lawyers, whose professional activities are based on such values as human rights protection, assistance to vulnerable groups, tolerance, partnership, continuous development and self-improvement, professionalism, mutual aid, independence and adherence to principles, honour of the profession of lawyer, gives rise to hope for the better future of the Ukrainian legal profession.
- A positive assessment from such value-oriented lawyers of the free legal aid system, which perceive it as a partner organization, a platform for spreading their views and self-fulfilment, proves the quality of the free legal aid system.
Such conclusions allow us to talk about the process of establishing an effective mutually enriching cooperation between the free legal aid system and the best representatives of the legal community, which will benefit society as a whole and every single client who will be in need of legal aid.
