Legal Education in Ukraine

Vocabulary:

a higher educational establishment – вищий навчальний заклад / высшее учебное заведение

to train lawyers – готувати юристів / готовить юристов

accreditation level – рівень акредитації / уровень аккредитации

to enter the Academy – поступати до академії / поступать в академию

to graduate from – закінчувати вуз / заканчивать вуз

full secondary education – повна середня освіта / полное среднее образование

entrance examinations – вступні іспити / вступительные экзамены

a full-time department – денний факультет / дневной факультет

a part-time department – заочний факультет / заочный факультет

staff development – підвищення кваліфікації / повышение квалификации

a procurator – прокурор / прокурор

an investigator – слідчий / следователь

a notary – нотаріус / нотариус

a legal adviser – юрисконсульт / юрисконсульт

a defence lawyer – адвокат / адвокат

a judge – суддя / судья

the Supreme Court – Верховний суд / Верховный суд

the Constitutional Court – Конституційний суд / Конституционный суд

Civil Law – цивільне право / гражданское право

Civil Procedure – цивільний процес / гражданський процесс

Criminal Law – кримінальне право / уголовное право

Criminal Procedure – кримінальний процес / уголовный процесс

Criminology – кримінологія / криминология

Criminalistics – криміналістика / криминалистика

International Law – міжнародне право / международное право

Constitutional Law – конституційне право / конституционное право

to attend lectures – відвідувати лекції / посещать лекции

a seminar – семінар / семинар

a tutorial – практичне заняття / практическое занятие

a hostel – гуртожиток / общежитие

to stand on guard – стояти на сторожі / стоять на страже

legality – законність / законность

law and order –правопорядок / правопорядок

1. What is the system of law education in Ukraine?

If a person wants to become a lawyer in Ukraine he should first finish secondary school and then he may take entrance exams to Law Academies, Law Department of Universities, Law institutes and Special schools of militia.

2. What is the course of study at these establishments?

Usually, law students study five years.

3. What subjects do students study at higher legal educational establishments?

The students study special subjects such as: criminal law, civil law, criminal procedure, civil procedure, administrative law, international law, labour law, criminalistics etc; and general subjects, such as: philosophy, sociology, psychology, political science, and foreign languages.

4. Where may the graduates work after graduating from higher legal

educational establishments?

The graduates may work in the procurator’s office, militia, security service, tax militia, legal advisory office, notary office, court and the Bar.

The graduates may also work as draftsmen in the Verkhovna Rada.

5. What are the main tasks of lawyers?

The main tasks of lawyers are: to protect the rights of citizens and the interests of the state in courts; to draft the legal document and to investigate crimes.

6. What educational establishment do you study at?

I study at the National Law Academy of Ukraine named after Yaroslav the Wise.

6. What can you tell about its history?

Its history began in1804, when the statute of the Imperial Kharkiv University was approved by the Emperor Alexander I.

The law faculty of the University became an independent institute in 1920, then, in 1991 it was transformed into the Ukrainian Law Academy, which became the National Law Academy of Ukraine named after Yaroslav the Wise in 1995.

6. What special status was the Academy granted with?

Our Academy was granted with a special status of the autonomous state higher educational establishment with the highest accreditation level.

6. How many departments are there in the Academy?

In the structure of the Academy there are 13 departments: 9 full-time departments, the Procurator’s Training Institute, 2 part-time departments and the evening department. It also has the departments in Kyiv, Poltava, the Crimea and the Staff Development Institute.

6. Who can become a student of the Academy?

Any person who has got a full secondary education and has successfully passed entrance examinations can become a student.

6. What kind of specialists does the Academy train?

It trains highly-qualified lawyers. The graduates of the Academy work in different parts of our country as judges, procurators, investigators, legal advisers, defence lawyers, notaries. Some of them work in the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Council of Ukraine, higher and local state bodies of power.

6. What does the Academy provide the students with?

The students of the Academy have all opportunities to master their future profession. Our educational establishment is accommodated in modern spacious buildings with lecture-halls, computerized classrooms, libraries, reading-rooms and sport grounds. The main library has a wide range of Ukrainian and foreign legal materials, articles and commentaries in legal and social sciences, reference works and periodicals.

6. What subjects do the students study?

The students study a lot of subjects, including such special law subjects as Administrative Law, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Civil Law, Civil Procedure, International Law, Constitutional Law, Criminology, Criminalistics, etc.

6. What classes do the students have?

They attend lectures, seminars and tutorials.

6. Where do the out-of-town students live?

Many students live in the hostels that are very comfortable and have all modern conveniences.

6. What else can you tell about the students’ life?

Our students take an active part in the scientific and cultural life of the Academy. Some of them go in for sports.

6. How can you characterize your educational establishment?

The National Law Academy of Ukraine named after Yaroslav the Wise is one of the largest and innovative law schools in our country and abroad. The members of the Academic staff participated in the development of the Constitution of Ukraine and numerous legal acts of the Supreme Council of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers.

6. What kind of specialists does the Academy give our country?

Every year the Academy gives our country well-educated people and highly-qualified specialists standing on guard of legality and law and order.