Minister of Justice Konstantin Chuychenko: Mr President, I would like to briefly report on the results of the International Legal Forum.
The level of participation was excellent. We welcomed 23 ministers of justice this year, compared to 20 last year. Nearly 6,000 participants attended the event, including 17 heads of judicial systems from various countries and six prosecutors-general. It was a very high-level meeting, with representatives from academia and the business community also taking part. Around 130 panel discussions and roundtables were held on a wide range of legal issues.
The plenary session was titled The Law: Lessons of the Past for the World of the Future. Once again, we had a very high-calibre group of participants. Notably, the President of Interpol also attended and spoke at the plenary session. We intend to continue developing this forum, and I believe it has already become a leading international platform in the field of jurisprudence, and we must strive to maintain its status.
If I may, I would also like to say a few words about the Russian advocacy system. It is a vital institution of our civil society. Currently, the legal profession comprises 75,000 practising lawyers.
Regional bar associations have been established in all constituent entities of the Russian Federation, including the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. Our lawyers play an active role in providing free legal aid; 10,000 of them are involved in this work and have delivered 155,000 consultations in 2024 alone.
I would also like to note that we are working on enhancing the professionalism of legal counsels. After extensive discussions, we reached the conclusion, supported by all the relevant bodies, that this effort should be based within the bar. Citizens have a constitutional right to qualified legal assistance, and we believe that only organisations with established professional and ethical standards can fulfil this mission. The bar meets these requirements. We therefore approached the Government with a proposal, and it has supported our initiative to begin drafting the necessary legislation.
It is also worth highlighting the strong involvement of lawyers in the special military operation. Fifty-eight were mobilised, and another 218 volunteered to serve. These are significant figures that reflect the deep civic commitment of the Russian legal community. Sadly, 24 lawyers have lost their lives and 36 have been wounded.
Vladimir Putin: 75,000 lawyers?
Konstantin Chuychenko: Yes, 75,000 currently in practice. But if we proceed with the proposed reforms to professionalise legal representation through the bar, I believe we may eventually reach 100,000.
Vladimir Putin: Good.
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