On Monday, October 9, the Ukrainian Bar Association held the Grand Reception at the Museum of Kyiv History to mark the opening of the Legal Year 2023.

The event was opened by Mykola Stetsenko, UBA President. In his welcoming speech, he emphasized the role of law and lawyers in modern Ukrainian society, which, due to the full-scale war, is unbalanced, prone to populism, and excessive emotionalism.

"As lawyers, we should not shun our role and social function... We think systematically, we can make the right analysis. We understand what is good, what is evil, what is justice, what is right, what is wrong... Society needs someone with a cooler head, someone who can show where common sense is. As lawyers, we should take on this function," said Mykola Stetsenko.

Ksenia Ukolova, head of the UBA Students’ League, also addressed the reception guests. She thanked everyone present and emphasized that law students learn from the mistakes of others to avoid them in the future.

"We learn from your mistakes so as not to make them in the future. Therefore, we respect not only the opening of the Legal Year but also the bright past, the vivid present, and the brilliant future," said Ms. Ukolova.

Partners of the event also delivered welcoming words. Tetiana Lysovets, UBA Vice President, Senior Partner at Sokolovsky & Partners Law Firm, emphasized that being a lawyer is not only a great honor but also a great responsibility, especially relevant now.

"Difficult times breed strong people. And now, we all need to be those strong people," she emphasized.

Mykhailo Tretiakov, Managing Partner at Azones, noted that the full-scale war has shifted legal issues to the background. However, he urged those involved in legal matters to activate their work, change the agenda, raise legal issues in discussions, and more. According to him, this will help Ukraine overcome challenges and build a dignified country.

Stanislav Borys, Board Member of the UBA Committee on Criminal and Criminal Procedure Law, Managing Partner at VIDAR Law Firm, thanked the Association and all its members for their work over the past two years, especially in legal education and providing free legal aid to those in need.

Also delivering welcoming words were Kateryna Anishchenko, head of the family practice at RIYAKO&PARTNERS Law Firm, and Yevhenii Promskyi, assistant attorney at ARES Law Firm.

"I hope that this year will give us the opportunity to feel even more that Ukraine is truly a country governed by the rule of law," noted Mr. Promskyi.

Keynote Speaker at the reception was Remi Duflot, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine. He emphasized that the European Union is united in its support for Ukraine during the Russian armed aggression. In his speech, Mr. Duflot focused on supporting reforms in Ukraine and the need to fight corruption.

In the second part of the Grand Reception, the ceremony of awarding the UBA’s Honorary Badge "For Honor and Professional Dignity" for 2023 took place. The award went to Dr. Anton Korynevych, Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, authorized representative of Ukraine to the International Court of Justice in cases of accusation of genocide and application of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Mr. Korynevych also coordinates the creation of a Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

"I believe that this award is for all those who support international law today. And I think that this award from the legal community is the most valuable because these are people who understand what our legal work is. It's a sign that what we do is important. And I sincerely hope that we will have the opportunity to continue doing this," said Anton Korynevych at the award ceremony.

In addition to the traditional award, this year, the Nomination Commission initiated a separate posthumous award for Oleksandr Polivodskyy and all other lawyers who fell defending Ukraine from Russian aggression.

Oleksandr Polivodskyy, Ph.D. in Law, attorney, Partner at the Sofiya Law Firm, was among the TOP 100 lawyers in Ukraine. He was a member of the UBA and the Ukrainian National Bar Association. On the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion, he volunteered to defend his homeland. Tragically, Oleksandr died on April 19, 2023, while performing a combat mission on the outskirts of the village of Dibrova in Luhansk region. On the day of the opening of the Legal Year, October 9, he would have turned 50.

The award was presented to the widow of the Hero, Stanislava Polivodska, and their daughter Sofiia.

You can find more photos from the event at this link.

The UBA thanks the sponsors of the event: ARES Law Firm, AZONES Law Firm, VIDAR Law Firm, Sokolovsky & Partners Law Firm, RIYAKO&PARTNERS Law Firm.