It seems that not so long ago, Advocacy Day was the main holiday of all lawyers. On this day, there were always jokes about the fact that St. Nicholas must visit the lawyers with obligatory gifts for the defenders.
And the very meaning of the word “protector” was different. Without a military color, but certainly because of the understanding that protection is the inviolability of rights and freedoms, it is a fight against the soulless machine of coercion, it is a complete rejection of arbitrariness and the struggle for independence.
Paradoxically, although this year Saint Nicholas “went” to others, the lawyers themselves perceive it as absolute justice, because December 6 is also the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Also defenders, although different in nature, but with the same principles and ideas about freedom, independence and justice as lawyers.
Apparently, this is the fate of a true Defender – to fight to the last, no matter what.
And that is why it is symbolic that the event, which gathered lawyers of the Kyiv region on December 19, 2023 in the capital’s M17 Center for Contemporary Art, began with a moment of silence in honor of the soldiers who gave their lives in the war with the orcs.
In his congratulatory speech, Petro Boyko, the head of the Bar Council of the Kyiv region, said: “so far, this is a day that we do not celebrate, but only celebrate, because memory is also a weapon.”
And indeed, there were many memorable moments of this day.
This is the poignant speech of Dmytro Linartovych, known for his voice of Skipper from the cartoon “Madagascar”, and now he is a soldier of the Armed Forces.
These are the impressive results of the charity auction, during which lawyers of the Kyiv region competed for who would bid the highest amount for a shell casing signed by soldiers who are now “at zero”.
This is also the presentation of the Report of the Committee for the Protection of Guarantees of Advocacy for 2023, which collected all the moments when colleagues came to the defense of lawyers already here in the rear.
This is also awarding lawyers with honorary awards, diplomas and orders.
Including from the military themselves – for the active participation of the self-government bodies of the Kyiv Oblast in volunteer activities.
But the most important thing is that on this day all the lawyers absolutely sincerely wished each other Victory. After all, after the Victory, there will be will, freedom, and the state – and lawyers will defend them as zealously as the Armed Forces defend Ukraine today. And the Advocacy Day will then again become a peaceful and cheerful holiday.
Photo of the event – at the link