According to Article 59 of the Constitution of Ukraine, everyone has the right to a professional legal assistance. In cases provided by law, this assistance is provided free of charge. Everyone is free in choosing a defender of his rights.
According to Article 8 (1) of the Law of Ukraine "On Free Legal Aid", all persons under the jurisdiction of Ukraine have the right to free primary legal aid states the Constitution of Ukraine and this Law.
The abovementioned law defines the categories of persons entitled to free secondary legal aid.
However, not everyone who needs free legal aid receives it.
The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Legal Aid Coordination Center, the Ukrainian Legal Aid Foundation, the Legal Development Network and the Legal Clinics Association set the goal of uniting efforts to find, study, systematize and disseminate the best national and international practices to ensure effective and comprehensive access to justice.
In order to achieve the above goal it was created the Ukrainian School of Practical Knowledge on Access to Justice.
The main tasks of the Ukrainian School of Practical Knowledge on Access to Justice are the regular holding of the International Conference on Free Legal Aid and extensive interaction with national and foreign governmental and non-governmental institutions that provide access to justice.
Creating a Ukrainian School of Practical Knowledge on Access to Justice is a very important event, as it will enable Ukraine not only to share its experience in providing free legal aid and effective access to justice, but also to gain experience from other countries and introduce it in Ukraine.
In turn, this will allow Ukraine to have a higher level of access to justice, including free legal aid.
For more information on this topic, please visit: https://minjust.gov.ua/news/ministry/zasnovana-ukrainska-shkola-praktichnih-znan-z-pitan-dostupu-do-pravosuddya