Back President of Georgia attends conference on the profession of lawyer

President of Georgia attends conference on the profession of lawyer

Yesterday, the President of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, opened the International Conference on the Independent, Qualified and Ethical Exercise of the Profession of Lawyers.  He stressed the significance of the advocate’s profession for strengthening the rule of law: “Democratic society does not exist without human rights guarantees for each and every individual. It is surely a government’s duty to ensure a proper constitutional framework for these guarantees; however you [the advocates] are the individuals who take the risk, take the burden to defend those whose rights are under risk.” This statement was echoed in the opening remarks made on behalf of the EU, Council of Europe, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, Georgian Bar Association – the host, UN in Georgia and Tbilisi State University.

Over sixty representatives of the Georgian and Bar Associations from 13 countries brought their best practices on lawyers training, lawyers deontology and lawyers rights to this international conference in Tbilisi, Georgia 20-21 June 2016.

Inspired by the Recommendation on the Freedom of exercise of the profession of lawyer, the Conference created a platform for open discussions, where challenges and best practices were shared. The Georgian Bar Association presented the results of the support received to date from the Council of Europe-European Union “Support to the Georgian Bar Association” Project. These results along with the exchange of best practices enabled participants to receive an inventory of best practices developed and applied by Bar Associations from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, France, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Poland and Turkey in the most important aspects of Bar Association’s mandates on lawyers ethics, training and lawyers rights.

Outcomes of the Conference are being compiled in a joint working document and will be shared with all the participants for further guidance and reference. To quote participants “I return back to my country with a wealth of experiences and good practices from such a variety of systems gathered in one place to inspire my colleagues for further changes we can make to improve the profession of lawyer”. As a result of best practices exchanged, inter-profession networks and twinnings have been created, the self-administration of the profession of lawyer in Georgia and those from participating countries has been strengthened, which in turn contributes to the efficiency and the fair administration of justice to the benefit of the citizens in the countries concerned.

The session on the Role of Bar Associations in “Defending the defenders” was of particular interest, empowering participants to “stand up and voice their concerns, relying on partner Bar Associations’ support” (in the words of one participant). As a result, representatives of the Bar Associations are considering a joint statement extending support towards the advocates whose rights are infringed, while carrying out professional duties in the countries concerned.

This Conference was funded by the Council of Europe-European Union  Programmatic Cooperation Framework project on “Support to the Georgian Bar Association” and the EU/UN Joint Project “Enhancing Access to Justice and Development of a Child-Friendly Justice System in Georgia”, in partnership with the Georgian Bar Association, Tbilisi State University and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe. 

Tbilisi, Georgia 21 June 2016
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