On 14 May 2025, the XIX Forum "Legal Services Market Development" in honor of Oleg Makarov commenced. The event was opened by Mykola Stetsenko, President of the Ukrainian Bar Association and Managing Partner at AVELLUM, who emphasised the importance of discussing the connection between legal education and the labour market. He noted that the training of future legal professionals must meet the current challenges of the legal business and highlighted the role of the UBA in developing young specialists.

The first day of the event, dedicated to the theme "Legal Education vs Market: Who Benefits from a Diploma?", was moderated by Anna Babych, Executive Partner at AEQUO, and Iryna Nikitina, Strategy and Growth Consultant, Researcher & Ideologist at LegalTalents.Report.

The discussion was structured around three hypotheses proposed by Anna:

1. Internships have transformed from an auxiliary tool into the primary channel for a lawyer's professional development. This change occurred without updating educational programmes, creating a gap between academic theory and the practical skills demanded by the market.

2. Higher education institutions and the legal business have opposing views on responsibility for the quality of graduate training. This asymmetry hinders reforms.

3. The current model of cooperation between higher education institutions and law firms does not consider the needs of the third party—the students themselves. Young people are becoming active players in the educational market and have clear expectations, but these needs are often ignored when planning educational programmes.

Iryna Nikitina shared significant insights into modern legal education, based on the findings of the LegalTalents.Report, which surveyed over 450 students. Key points include:

• Internships begin well before graduation. Over a third of surveyed students already have practical experience, independent of official university programmes.

• Most students do not rely on universities to find internship opportunities. They actively seek opportunities independently through networks, social media, and professional platforms.

• The ideal internship for students is education that is lacking at the university. Key criteria include the opportunity to learn something new, receive regular feedback, be visible within the team, and feel significant.

• Students view internships as a bridge to their first job or dream employer. They clearly know which companies they want to work for and target specific firms during internships. The most attractive companies, as noted by respondents, are AEQUO, AVELLUM, LCF, MORIS, and Vasyl Kisil & Partners.

These hypotheses and facts point to the need for fundamental changes in the architecture of cooperation between universities, students, and law firms to create a more effective and modern model for training young lawyers.

Discussing the issues of the gap between academic education and market requirements, Denys Bugay, Co-Founding Partner at VB PARTNERS, noted that modern students often lack the ability to formulate their thoughts clearly and concisely. In his opinion, this creates a barrier to effective practical work, as legal documents must be succinct and substantive. He also emphasised the importance of understanding the European context, as knowledge of international law will become critical for Ukrainian lawyers after Ukraine's accession to the EU.

Olena Pertsova, Partner at AEQUO, supported this view and added that many educational programmes already include modern disciplines such as energy and information law. She emphasised the importance of soft skills—communication, teamwork, adaptability to change—which often become decisive factors in the careers of young legal professionals. Olena also pointed out that universities often rely on lecturers with theoretical backgrounds, and involving practitioners with real-world experience could significantly improve student training, helping them better understand the legal profession.

The issue of flexible educational programmes was raised by Marta Mochulska, Deputy Dean for Educational Work and International Cooperation at the Faculty of Law, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. She noted that universities already consider market needs during the accreditation of their programmes, but this process often has a formal character. She supported Olena's views on the need to involve practitioners in teaching, enabling students to acquire practical skills demanded by employers.

Dmytro Boichuk, Acting Vice-Rector for Educational and Methodological Work at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, drew attention to the challenges associated with integrating market requirements into curricula. He noted that the financial and organisational structure of many higher education institutions does not always allow for rapid adaptation to changes in the labour market, affecting the competitiveness of graduates.

Liudmyla Kozhura, Director of the Law Institute at Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman, supported her colleagues, emphasising that universities must not only prepare students for the Unified State Qualification Exam (USQE) but also develop their practical skills. She stressed that without proper preparation, students may experience a gap between theory and practice, complicating their adaptation to the labour market.

The discussion continued with Illya Tkachuk, Senior Partner at INTEGRITES, who highlighted the importance of early specialisation for students. According to him, young legal professionals should have the opportunity to choose their areas of focus during their studies to better prepare for real work in the legal field. He also emphasised that internships should become not just a part of education but a full-fledged tool for professional development.

Nataliia Melnychuk, Deputy Director for Scientific and Pedagogical Work at the Educational and Scientific Institute of Law, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, pointed out the real challenges of integrating practitioners into the educational process. She noted that despite the importance of practical experience, many professionals from the real sector refuse regular teaching due to the complexity and scale of tasks that go beyond standard guest lectures. At the same time, she emphasised that students actively influence the content of programmes, forming their own requests and even regarding the invitation of external experts.

Svitlana Khyliuk, Dean of the UCU Law School, spoke about the importance of flexible educational programmes and prompt adaptation to changes. She shared UCU's experience, which, under the conditions of full-scale invasion, promptly reviewed curricula, demonstrating that universities can quickly respond to challenges if they have the capability. She also noted that Ukraine currently lacks an official requirement to publish data on graduate employment, as is done, for example, by law schools in the USA.

"We talked a lot about hard skills and soft skills. Of course, the main requirement for universities is to provide students with strong hard skills. But what truly makes a lawyer competitive is analytical and critical thinking," shared Anna Ogrenchuk, Managing Partner at LCF Law Group. She also emphasised that the main criteria for the success of legal education programmes should be not only the percentage of employed graduates but also the level of their starting salaries.

Mykola Stetsenko, President of the UBA and Managing Partner at AVELLUM, shared his own experience of returning to the academic environment and emphasised that fundamental knowledge remains critical for success in the profession. He noted that it is universities that lay the foundations of analytical thinking necessary for understanding complex legal issues and preparing for work at the international level.

Volodymyr Venher, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the National University of "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy", shared his thoughts on modern curricula, the involvement of practitioners in teaching, and the importance of adapting educational programmes to market needs. He also spoke about his faculty's experience in cooperating with law firms and implementing new approaches to training future legal professionals.

Summing up the discussion, speakers and participants took part in an interactive survey. Its results show that:

1. Internships are recognised as a full-fledged stage of professional training, on par with university education (76%).

2. The student's position should be considered when planning educational programmes and internships, requiring feedback mechanisms (63%).

3. The training of law faculty graduates should include both a theoretical base and an understanding of career options for lawyers (46%).

4. Improving cooperation between higher education institutions, business, and students requires integrating internships into curricula as a mandatory element or creating joint educational modules (34% each).

5. Changes in the architecture of cooperation should be initiated through joint initiatives but with the participation of an external facilitator (54%).

As was repeatedly stated by the speakers, the Ukrainian Bar Association can serve as this facilitator.

We thank the moderators, speakers, and participants for a productive discussion and our partners for supporting the event: AVELLUM, Vasyl Kisil & Partners, AVER LEX, VB PARTNERS, Asters, INTEGRITES, and LCF Law Group.