Unified State Register of Lawyers (EGRA)

2024

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Since July 1, 2024, the Unified State Register of Lawyers has been launched in Russia, which is designed to streamline the system of accounting for persons engaged in lawyer activities. This innovation is part of a large-scale reform of the bar aimed at increasing the transparency and efficiency of the advocacy community.

The maintenance of the Unified Register of Lawyers is entrusted to the Ministry of Justice of Russia. Now the right to advocate arises from the moment information about the lawyer is entered in this register.

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The new law also makes a number of significant changes to the procedure for obtaining and maintaining the status of a lawyer. In particular, a three-month period has been set for taking the oath after passing the qualification exam. In case of violation of this period, the decision to assign the status of a lawyer will be canceled.

The period of validity of the lawyer's certificate is limited to 15 years. When the status of a lawyer is suspended or terminated, the certificate must be submitted to the territorial body of the Ministry of Justice or the council of the regional bar within three days.

The law also clarifies the powers of the Ministry of Justice in relation to the bar community. The department received the right to submit to the regional chambers of lawyers submissions on the initiation of disciplinary proceedings and on the termination of the status of a lawyer.

The grounds for depriving the status of a lawyer have been expanded. Now this is possible not only in the improper performance of duties to the principal, but also in relation to other persons.

New requirements have been introduced for organizing the work of regional chambers of lawyers. They will act on the basis of the charter adopted by the meeting of lawyers. The qualification commission includes a representative from the scientific community.^[1] of Lawyers^[2]

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on the creation of a register

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on the creation of the Unified State Register of Lawyers (EGRA). The corresponding document was published on April 22, 2024.

It follows from it that the authority to maintain, determine the procedure for maintaining and composition of the information of this register is assigned to the Ministry of Justice of Russia, and the Federal Chamber of Lawyers has been appointed the operator of the system.

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The Unified State Register of Lawyers is a federal state information resource containing information about lawyers. The Federal Chamber of Lawyers ensures the transfer to the federal justice body in electronic form of information about applicants who took the oath of a lawyer, information about applicants who did not pass a qualified exam, and information contained in the registers of law enforcement entities, in the amount of information determined by agreement with the Federal Bar Chamber, - said in the decree of the President of the Russian Federation.

As Vedomosti writes with reference to the President of the Federal Chamber of Lawyers of the Russian Federation Svetlana Volodina, against the background of the digital transformation of many areas in Russia, the bar should not stand aside. According to her, the EGRA will accumulate data on both current lawyers and those applicants who failed to successfully pass the exam. Now the lawyer receives the right to professional activities from the moment of inclusion in the EGRA.

Principals will be able to receive full information about the presence of status, the number of the certificate, membership in the bar, - added the President of the FPA.

Information about lawyers in the registry will be open and publicly available. In addition, it is planned to enter information about applicants for the status of a lawyer who did not pass the qualification exam. The right to carry out advocacy will appear with a lawyer from the moment information about him is entered into the state register.^[3]

Federal Law on Amendments to the Federal Law "On Advocacy and Advocacy in the Russian Federation"

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