On September 5, 2025, the Ukrainian Bar Association held a large-scale forum “Advocacy. Formula for Success”, which became a unique event for the entire legal community. One of the most discussed was the III session “How can a lawyer protect himself?” , dedicated to the professional safety of lawyers, preserving their reputation, and tools for responding to the challenges of today.
The session was moderated by Tetyana Lezhukh , a lawyer, mediator, lecturer at the Higher School of Advocacy, and founder of the “Young Lawyer’s School” project.
Speech by Andriy Hrubsky: Protecting a lawyer means protecting a client
Andriy Hrubsky
The Chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Lawyers’ Rights of the Kyiv Region Bar Council, war veteran, lawyer Andriy Hrubsky, emphasized in his speech: the issue of lawyers’ safety has long gone beyond individual incidents. This is already a systemic challenge for the entire profession.
According to him, the Committee works at several levels:
- promptly goes out to conduct searches and provides assistance to lawyers in conflict situations;
- summarizes practice and prepares systemic conclusions;
- prepares proposals for changes in legislation to strengthen real guarantees for legal practice.
Practical cases
Andriy Hrubsky gave several typical examples of the committee’s work:
- Search without a lawyer. One of my colleagues was searched at night. Investigators refused to allow his defense attorney in, and the lawyer himself was forced to sign a report under pressure. The visit of the Committee representatives and public publicity allowed them to stop the arbitrariness and bring those responsible to disciplinary action.
- Seizure of equipment with confidential materials. In another case, during a search, investigators tried to seize a lawyer’s laptop with client materials. Thanks to the committee’s prompt intervention, the equipment was returned, and the fact of the violation was used for a court appeal.
- Physical pressure. One of the lawyers was attacked while performing his professional duties in court. The Committee not only recorded the fact, but also helped to achieve an official investigation and entry of data into the ERDR.
“The protection of a lawyer is not a personal privilege. It is a direct guarantee for the client that his right to defense will not be nullified by arbitrariness or pressure,” Grubsky emphasized.
He thanked RAKO and its chairman Petro Boyko , noting that the activities of the Kyiv region committee are actually of all-Ukrainian importance, as lawyers from other regions also turn to it for help.
Speech by Jan Voinikanis-Mirsky: analytics and facts
Jan Voinikanis-Mirsky
Deputy Chairman of the Committee, attorney Jan Voinikanis-Mirsky, presented statistics on violations of the guarantees of legal practice over the past three years:
- over 600 searches of lawyers and law offices;
- more than 60 official appeals from lawyers regarding pressure and violations of their rights;
- Among the most common problems are violation of attorney-client privilege, seizure of client documents, attempts to discredit, and physical pressure.
He emphasized that some problems remain “invisible,” as lawyers often do not report them out of fear, fatigue, or unwillingness to conflict.
“Keeping the problem quiet is not a way to solve it. If a lawyer does not declare pressure on himself, then tomorrow his colleague will face the same pressure,” Voinikanis-Mirsky noted.
Why is this important?
The session demonstrated that the professional security of a lawyer is an integral part of the right to defense in a democratic society. If a lawyer does not feel protected, then the rights of the client are also at risk.
The Committee urged colleagues to actively report any facts of violations, to use support, and not to leave any attempt at pressure or restriction of attorney rights without reaction.
“Each recorded violation is an argument in the fight for change and a tool for strengthening the guarantees of legal practice,” the Committee representatives concluded.
Conclusion
The forum “Advocacy. Formula for Success” once again showed that the legal community has a huge potential for self-organization and solidarity. The third session was a reminder: by protecting a lawyer, we protect the client, the profession, and society as a whole.
The forum recording is available at https://youtu.be/4hdGjxrdXwY