ADMISSION TO THE BAR
Taking into account that the admission to the bar through test method began in 2004, it should be noted that in the period 2004-2018 (over 14 years), 5 written test exams, and in the last 4 years, 8 written test exams were held, and the number of lawyers increased by more than 2.5 times.
In 2021, 2 written test exams were held for admission to the bar. In total, 544 candidates participated in the written test stages of the qualification exam held on 05.03.2021 and 02.10.2021 and 289 successful candidates passed to the oral interview stage. As a result of oral interviews, the number of lawyers reached 2132.
The oral interview stage is going on for 130 candidates who successfully passed the exam on 02.10.2021.
Currently, there are 2132 lawyers in our country.
1752 of them are men, 380 are women;
1679 of them practice in Baku, 453 in regions;
The oldest lawyer - Rajabova Eleanora Viktorovna - 06.04.1933 - 88 years old;
The youngest lawyer - Abdullazade Khayala Nijat - 01.05.1997 - 24 years old.
At the same time, over the past 4 years, the number of Law Offices (hereinafter “LO”) in our country increased by 3 times and reached 108.
This year, Shaki Regional Law Office, Baku Law Offices No. 10, No. 20, No. 33, “Femida”, “Arbitrium”, “Khazar consulting”, "Verdiktum" have been opened and these LOs are fully equipped with material and technical base in order to meet the high standards of work conditions of lawyers for the provision of quality legal assistance to citizens.
At the same time, non-residential areas were provided for Sumgayit, Ganja, Shirvan, and Sheki Regional Law Offices, and a land plot was allocated for the construction of the corresponding building in Lankaran city. Currently, preparatory work is underway to repair the allocated building in Ganja city, to construct the building in the land area in Lankaran city, and the buildings allocated in other cities have been fully commissioned.
On November 25-27, the board of the Azerbaijani Bar Association (hereinafter “ABA”) visited the regional offices of Shaki, Zagatala, Mingachevir, Yevlakh and listened to the problems faced by lawyers during their professional activity and to their suggestions.
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
During 2021, cooperative relationships between the ABA and specialized agencies of the United Nations, in particular, the International Organization for Migration and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as the Council of Europe, the European Union, the World Bank, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), the Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (LAWASIA), the International Association of Lawyers (UIA), International Committee of the Red Cross, etc. continued and strengthened.
Thus, in 2021, the ABA’s board and its members participated in the events held in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey in person, and represented the legal profession in Azerbaijan at international events held in other countries in the form of videoconferences.
On October 4, the chairman of the ABA Anar Baghirov and a member of the Presidium of the ABA (hereinafter “Presidium”) Mukhtar Mustafayev participated and made a speech at the “II Congress of Kyrgyz lawyers” attended by the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadir Japarov.
On October 12, the delegation led by the chairman of the ABA Anar Baghirov attended the XVII scientific-practical conference on “Advocacy, State, Society” organized by the Russian Federal Chamber of Lawyers and held with the participation of state officials in Moscow.
In addition, Presidium member Elchin Usub represented the ABA making a speech at the International Conference on "Proof and proving in administrative law" in Kazakhstan, Presidium member Vugar Babayev at the conference on "Impact of global economic challenges on labor and social rights of people" in Belarus, head of LO Yusif Allahverdiyev at the scientific-practical conference on “Forensic examination of intellectual property objects” in Ukraine.
As to the meetings and events held in the videoconference format, the administration of the ABA participated as a speaker and exchanged views on the experiences of many countries at the Round Table of Presidents of the International Bar Associations organized by the Law Society of Hong Kong, at the online meeting with the board of the Bar Association of Iran, in the International Forum “Tashkent Law Spring”, at the online meeting with LAWASIA, at an online meeting of members of the PECO committee organized at 3 different times and the roundtable on “Lawyers Against Violence!" organized by the Chamber of Lawyers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
As a continuation of the events held online, on March 9, the conference “On the place of law and psychology in combatting violence against women” was held within the framework of the March 8 “World Women's Day” organized by the Turkish Bar Association and the ABA, chairman Anar Baghirov's article was published, moreover, on October 28-29, Baku Office of the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Justice Academy and the ABA’s Legal Aid and Training Center (hereinafter “LATC”) organized a training course on “Gender Equality and Media Freedom” for lawyers.
On June 29, the webinar “On the role of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and criteria for admissibility of applications - theory and practice” was held jointly by CCBE and the ABA, live-streamed for the whole legal community, and the questions addressed were answered by international experts.
On April 22, a member of the Paris Bar Association Yasin Yakuti and a lawyer with broad connections in the media field, Elis Arfi visited the ABA to establish direct contacts and discuss prospects for further cooperation.
On September 7-10, training on human trafficking was held for advocates and practical lawyers within the framework of the project “Action on Combating Trafficking in Persons” funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) jointly organized by the International Organization for Migration and the ABA.
In addition, within the framework of the project “Alternative dispute resolution and additional support to the development of specialized courts“, Mark Segal, the main expert of the project, held “Training for lawyer trainers“, training “On non-verbal communication", as well as the online international conference with the participation of Gary Born considered the most influential arbitrator in the world and Patricia Shaughnessy was held.
On October 28, a meeting was held between the delegation led by Hristos Jakoumopoulos, head of the Directorate-General for Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe visiting our country, and on February 19 and November 11, between the representatives of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the South Caucasus and the administration of the ABA.
On December 2, a training on “Judicial guarantees in the framework of international humanitarian law” was organized for the ABA members in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross with the participation of international experts.
In April and October-November, presentations, meetings and long-term training courses on “Introduction to the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights” in the framework of HELP (The European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) were held within the joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe, as well as in cooperation with the ABA.
In addition, on December 10, on the occasion of "Human Rights Day" an interactive online presentation was held by Judge of the European Court of Human Rights Latif Huseynov and Chief Lawyer of the Secretariat of the Council of Europe Khagani Guliyev.
In addition, on December 20, judges of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan having a business visit to our country participated in a meeting and got acquainted with the position of lawyers in the field of administrative proceedings.
As it is known, the ABA addressed the appeal in the legally and factually justified report form to 150 international organizations related to war crimes committed by the Republic of Armenia during the 44-day Patriotic War, and to 230 international organizations related to ecological and cultural terror carried out by them after the war and called for an assessment of this terror and sharp condemnation of these actions.
At the same time, on June 4, 2021, the ABA appealed to more than 200 international human rights organizations, bar associations of foreign countries, and legal societies, urging them not to neglect the casualties as the result of landmine explosions and human rights violations in Kalbajar, as well as to take measures in regard to Armenia to comply with the norms of international humanitarian law and its obligations to provide maps of mined territories to Azerbaijan.
Later, the interim report “Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno - Karabakh conflict, targeting civilians in Azerbaijan, September-November 2020” prepared by well-known international experts was presented to the public. The report examines the deliberate attacks on 100 Azerbaijani civilians killed in various cities of Azerbaijan. The report was released as a result of the great efforts of the 9 Bedford Row Team, BM Morrison Partners, and the ABA.
On the eve of the professional holiday, December 28 - "Advocate's day", on December 17-29, 2021, on the initiative of the Azerbaijani Bar Association and with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Museum Center hosted the exhibition "World Advocates' Robes and Attributes" organized by the law office "Kamandar Nasibov and Partners". Hundreds of people visited the exhibition every day and had the opportunity to get acquainted with the exhibits.
We would like to note that lawyer and judge robes were collected from about 70 different countries within two years under severe pandemic conditions in accordance with the national legislation of each country.
At the same time, negotiations with the bar associations of foreign countries are ongoing, and in the near future, the number of these robes (gowns) will cover more than 100 countries; the judge robes of different countries will also be placed in the museum.
At the exhibition held in the Museum Center, medals, orders, badges, stamps, and banknotes related to the history of advocacy and justice were also displayed.
APPLICATION OF INNOVATIONS IN ADVOCACY - E-SERVICES
It should be noted that the application of innovations in advocacy is one of the issues that are always approached with special sensitivity. In order to ensure citizens’ access to legal assistance, an online register of all law enforcement agencies and lawyers has been established on the Bar Association's website and all information provided here is constantly updated.
In addition, an electronic cabinet was put into operation for each lawyer and these e-cabinets were integrated into the "electronic court" information system.
Also, the circulation of official documents of the board and lawyers’ documents is carried out through this e-cabinet. Lawyers are also notified about the newly-sent documents and information via SMS and e-mail.
Since the beginning of the activity of the current Presidium, the application for admission to the bar has been electronic, and now this is being further improved and candidates will be able to send their documents online via the relevant platform on the website.
In the framework of electronization of document exchange within the ABA Office, personal files of lawyers are also electronized and an electronic base is created.
On the other hand, in 2020, due to the pandemic, taking into account the quarantine regime, the "LegalAid" electronic legal aid mobile application was developed and put into use by citizens.
In connection with the provision of legal assistance at the expense of the state, decisions are centralized and sent to the LATC in an electronic form, and these decisions are transferred from LATC to law offices and individual lawyers online through their personal cabinets.
At the same time, we would like to note that free legal assistance – i.e. “Pro Bono” is provided not only in the traditional way but also online.
In addition, in the past period, electronic platforms “On continuing education” were introduced to the use of lawyers.
Also, work is underway with relevant agencies for the digitalization of obtaining lawyer requests.
In addition, in the near future, the “Electronic lawyer order” platform will also be launched.
On the other hand, a meeting with the administration of China's “Huawei” company was held in the ABA, views were exchanged on stimulating the prospects for lawyers’ use of innovative technologies, as well as taking supportive measures for lawyers and plans to strengthen future cooperation.
COOPERATION AND SUPPORT FOR THE LEGAL REFORMS
On March 12, the ABA and the Supreme Court jointly organized a roundtable on “Judge and lawyer, procedural and non-procedural relationships” and the round table with the participation of the ABA’s Chairman, Supreme Court’s Deputy Chairman and Chamber Chairs, and more than 30 lawyers analyzed the mutual procedural relationships between judges and lawyers, problems encountered in this area.
In particular, some technical problems arising in the "Electronic court" information system caused justified concern of our lawyers and in this regard, on 01.11.2021 a conference was held with the participation of the ABA, the Ministry of Justice, and the governing bodies of the judicial-Legal Council. All proposals and complaints made by lawyers were summarized and sent to the Ministry of Justice.
In addition, lawyers Afgan Bakhishov, Babek Hamidov, and Panah Mammadov representing the ABA raised some existing problems and presented their proposals at the conference on “Justice and judicial reforms guarantee reliable protection of the rights of entrepreneurs".
The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsperson) Sabina Aliyeva and the ABA’s administration held a meeting and discussed the organization of joint educational programs within the framework of cooperation with LACT for the provision of professional legal assistance to citizens, and an agreement was reached on effective cooperation between the bodies in this direction.
As it is known, the ABA is one of the co-founders of the Mediation Council and has held several online meetings and events related to online experiences and solutions with the participation of the administration of the Mediation Council and more than 100 lawyers and mediators.
In addition, in order to organize the normal functioning of the mediation in the country, the appeal addressed to the ABA from the Mediation Council was considered and according to the Decision of the Presidium dated 04.11.2021, a positive decision was made to donate.
According to the Decree of the President dated December 30, 2020, a group of the ABA members were awarded the “Progress” medal as well for their long-term fruitful activity in the field of law.
The appeal of the Prosecutor General’s Office related to our principal and courageous female lawyers demonstrating exemplary behaviour, honouring the name of a lawyer, carrying out the legal activity with high professionalism, especially in the field of detection of grave crime and exposure of the criminal without any personal interest for the interests of our society and our state was considered, and a decision to award our valuable colleagues Sevda Maharramova and Rovshana Rahimli with the honorary diploma was adopted.
In addition, as part of the cooperation between the ABA and the Administration of the Regional Medical Divisions (TABIB), lawyers have been allocated appropriate space and medical personnel for the first vaccinations since April 2021.
At the same time, at the meeting dated July 13, 2021, the Presidium adopted a decision to transfer the donation to the “Yashat” Foundation.
On the other hand, one of the issues related to the competence of the Presidium of the Bar Association established by our law is the development of methodological recommendations.
Thus, with the support of the ABA, the methodological manual “Defense activity of a lawyer in criminal case” was prepared and presented to lawyers free of charge for the provision of legal assistance in criminal cases.
In addition, following the Order of the President on declaring 2021 the “Year of Nizami Ganjavi” in the Republic of Azerbaijan, with the support of ARRC, the book entitled “Nizami Ganjavi: his exhortations, sayings, wisdom and aphorisms” was published and presented to lawyers and legal community.
The collection of “Lawyer’s recommendations” by Chingiz Mammadov, a member of the ABA and lawyer of the Mingachevir City Law Office, has also been published this year.
As every year, the next issue of the journal “Azerbaijani lawyer” has been published and lawyers are invited to submit their papers and articles on actual issues of law.
On the other hand, according to the cooperation agreement signed between UNICEF Azerbaijan and the ABA at the end of last year and beginning of this year, expert and lawyer Rafig Alishov instructed on “Protection of children's rights” and lawyer Akif Alizadeh's textbook on “Protection of Family Rights. The right to social, legal and economic protection of the family: theory and practice” was developed. Chairman of the Bar Association, PhD in law, Anar Baghirov is among the reviewers of the textbook as well.
On the other hand, this year, several new rules, forms and regulatory documents were developed or amended by the decision of the Presidium. So, this year, the “Rule of advocate proceedings” and the “Rule on assistant lawyers” were prepared, as well as the relevant clauses of the “Rules for the implementation of legal aid by lawyers operating in the law offices and individually in accordance with the order at the expense of the state” were amended.
In the end, we would like to note that 2 working groups on civil and criminal law were formed by the Bar Association in connection with the implementation of the Presidential Decree “On deepening reforms in the judicial-legal system” and a package of proposals prepared by each of 2 groups was sent to the relevant bodies. In particular, the main work on making several amendments to the Law "On lawyers and legal activity" has already been done. Also, according to the amendments to the Law "On judicial forensic examination activities", lawyers operating individually or in legal offices have the right to officially apply to the forensic examination departments or private forensic experts to order the conduct of a forensic examination. In addition, within the framework of effective cooperation with international organizations specialized in the field of advocacy (CCBE, ICJ), the documents were enhanced by making additions and amendments to the “Rules of Conduct of Lawyers” in accordance with the recommendations of these organizations.
SUPPORT FOR LAWYERS
By the decisions of the Presidium, over the past period, 18 lawyers suffering from coronavirus and other diseases were provided with financial assistance from the Advocacy Development Foundation.
In general, in the past period, 95 lawyers were exempted from paying membership fees on the grounds of maternity leave, education, etc.
In addition, according to the decision of the Presidium 2 members of the Bar Association who participated in the 2nd Karabakh War were exempted from the membership fee to be paid in 2021, each of them was provided with financial assistance, and medical and social rehabilitation opportunities as well.
On the other hand, the ABA is always working within the framework of cooperation and negotiations with state authorities to eliminate all problems that occur or may occur in the process of professional activities of lawyers. This year, as every year, lawyers appealed to the ABA and expressed their concerns and complaints about the obstacles in the state bodies and the ABA did not spare its support for the settlement of these issues.
SOCIAL CAMPAIGNS, CONTESTS
Frequent visits to the nursing and children's homes, activities for the protection of the environment are constantly organized, as well as numerous competitions and contests in sports and scientific fields are held. Examples of these are international and domestic football and chess tournaments, competitions of painting, literature and many artistic creations.
As for the current year, the country's lawyers continue to promote and stimulate a healthy lifestyle despite the coronavirus pandemic that has engulfed the world. Thus, adhering to tradition, the Lawyers ' Football League (LFL) started this year too. This year's games were dedicated to the valiant victory of our army and citizens in the 44-day Patriotic War. LFL participating teams have even added to their founding names the glorious names that go through the glorious pages of the Great Victory. Participants of the 3rd LFL were “Absheron-Shusha”, “Advokat-Khankendi”, “Barrister-Jabrail”, “Adalat –Aghdam”, “Kapaz –Murov”, “Lavyers-Ergunesh”, “Veterans – Khudaferin”, “Inter-Lachin” and “Sumgayit Regional-Gubadli” lawyer football teams.
This time, following the agreement between the ABA and AFFA the tournament was held in partnership with the latter. Thus, professional referees appointed by AFFA governed the games.
Also, II lawyer art competition “Karabakh is Azerbaijan" dedicated to the glorious Patriotic War of 44 days was held by the ABA Lawyer Club.
Besides, on may 29, on the occasion of Independence days of Azerbaijan and Georgia, I International Chess tournament between lawyers of both countries, then on December 28, on the eve of "Lawyer day” professional holiday, on December 25-26, Lawyer chess” competition was organized.
In particular, the Bar Association and the “Dirchelish” youth socio-psychological rehabilitation center on the occasion of December 28 “Advocate's day” held a children's painting exhibition-competition entitled “The Profession of lawyer through the eyes of children”.
On the other hand, in addition to the visits to nursing and children's home, free legal assistance provided in the regions and Baku, numerous meetings were held and various forms of support were provided to women serving sentences at the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice in penitentiary institutions, as well as children living with them under the age of 3 and children who were taken from their mothers and transferred to appropriate orphanages.
In addition, free legal assistance was provided to the victims of the armed conflict and low-income families , and a number of actions were held by UNICEF and “ASAN Volunteers” Youth organization within the framework of the project “Protection of child in emergency situations” to provide psychosocial support to persons experiencing anxiety and fear during the Patriotic War.
SUPPORT FOR YOUNG GENERATION OF LAWYERS - Increasing interest in the legal profession among young people
The increase in the interest of young lawyers in advocacy is also one of the issues kept in the spotlight. In this sense, this year cooperation agreements signed with Baku State University, the Academy of Public Administration under the President (APA), the National Aviation Academy can be considered as successful initiatives, and similar agreements will be signed with “ADA” University and the Academy of the State Customs Committee in the near future.
On June 10, 2021, a scientific conference on “Training of highly qualified lawyers as one of the priorities of state policy” was held jointly by the ABA and APA.
Also, low-income, self-financing students distinguished with high academic performance are grantes scholarships named after “Alimardan Bey Topchubashov” established by the ABA.
In addition, the library of the Faculty of Law of Baku State University is being repaired and restored with the appeal of member of the Parliament Kamal Jafarov and the financial support of the ABA.
Also, on June 29-30, 2021, a national competition on International Humanitarian Law was held at ADA University by the International Committee of the Red Cross where Chairman Anar Baghirov and Presidium member Turgay Huseynov participated as a judge.
On the other hand, in accordance with the cooperation agreement signed between the ABA and ELSA (European Law Students’ Association) Azerbaijan in 2019, the ABA has also supported young people in numerous projects this year. So, on may 16, 2021, the final stage of the 10th National Moot Court Competition was held in the Supreme Court with the participation of Deputy Chairman Chingiz Asgarov and 3 other judges and with co-organization of the ABA and ELSA.
On December 3-5, in the framework of 3-day conference on “Raising awareness of youth on judicial-legal reforms” organized by ELSA Azerbaijan and supported by Youth Foundation, Supreme Court and the ABA, trainings were held by the ABA chairman and Presidium members.
In addition, lawyers have actively participated as trainers in numerous trainings, seminars, webinars, court competitions and simulations throughout the year.
At the same time, ELSA members apply and practice at any time in law offices.
On the other hand, support is always provided during internal events of universities, to young persons individually in various fields as well.
At the end, we would like to note that this year the chairman of the the ABA Anar Baghirov was elected one of the executive directors of the competition "Yukselish" and one of the winners of the competition Orkhan Gazi Zade within the framework of the one-year personal development-mentorship program is practising unde supervision of A.Baghirov.
LEGAL AID AT THE STATE EXPENSE
Following the requirements of the Presidential Decree "On deepening reforms in the judicial-legal system " of April 3, 2019, starting from 2020, the funds intended to pay lawyers (defenders) for legal assistance provided at the state expense are allocated directly from the centralized expenses of the state budget to the Bar Association.
For this purpose by the Presidential Decree “On a number of issues related to the application of the Law “On the state budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2021” dated December 30, 2020 4 518 000.0 AZN in the state budget were allocated to the Bar Association.
During 2021, according to the requirements of the budget legislation and decisions of the bodies involved in the criminal proceedings payments of fees (sums) to lawyers (defenders) for legal assistance provided at the state expense were timely provided by The Bar Association.
Thus, In accordance with the allocation in quarters and months of expenses related to the funds intended to be paid to lawyers (defenders) for legal assistance provided at the state expense with the expectation of submission of documents to the Bar Association according to 29 353 decisions adopted by the bodies carrying out criminal proceedings (investigation, prosecution and court bodies) the payment of 4 513 768,08 manat (taking into account the bank service) was paid to 73 law offices and 43 lawyers operating individually, and in general to 914 lawyers.
It should be noted that in comparison with the previous budget year (Delays in the adoption of relevant decisions on payment to lawyers in connection with the special quarantine regime during 2020 and their submission for execution, as well as the implementation by The Bar Association of court decisions on payment to the lawyer only at the expense of the state until November 2020, from 19 November 2020, following the relevant decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, a significant increase by granting decision-making authority to a lawyer for legal aid rendered at the expense of the state to other bodies involved in criminal proceedings) in 2021, significant increase in the percentage rate was noticed and the spenditure of allocated funds was 99.91%.
On the other hand, we would like to note that this year the Presidium of the Bar Association held meetings in an expanded format with the participation of the heads of the law offices, and the legal assistance provided at the expense of the state in 2020, existing problems and prospects in this area, etc. were discussed.
LEGAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING CENTER ACTIVITIES IN THE LAST 1 YEAR:
FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE - STATISTICS:
1. In 2021, 472 appeals were registered at the Legal Aid and Training Center of the Bar Association (hereinafter “HYTM”).
01.2021 - 20 men, 8 women - 28 people
02.2021 - 17 men, 14 women - 31 people
03.2021 - 29 men, 16 women - 45 people
04.2021 - 42 men, 16 women - 58 people
05.2021 - 22 men, 14 women - 36 people
06.2021 - 23 men, 18 women - 41 people
07.2021 - 21 men, 13 women - 34 people
08.2021 - 30 men, 24 women - 54 people
09.2021 - 29 men, 20 women - 49 people
10.2021 - 19 men, 19 women - 38 people
11.2021 - 22 men, 16 women - 38 people
12.2021 - 13 men, 7 women - 20 people
Total: 185 women, 287 men
From these appeals
Oral (directly): 344
Oral (online): 73
Written legal assistance: 55
2. In addition, in accordance with the decision of the Presidium of the Bar Association on providing free legal assistance to the families of martyrs and veterans, including free representation in court proceedings, 61 appeals of families of martyrs and veterans were registered and provided with legal assistance.
Of them: 33 families of martyrs, 28 veterans.
3. 133 appeals from citizens and other state-run ARVK were forwarded to the relevant advocacy agencies for legal assistance.
FREE LEGAL AID PROMOTIONS:
1. On June 5, August 12, September 23, November 12, 2021, on the initiative of MP Kamal Jafarov and with the support of ARVK, free legal aid campaigns were organized in Sabirabad by lawyers of Pro Bono and Femida Lawyers;
2. On June 12, 2021, on the initiative of the deputy of Milli Majlis Bahruz Maharramov and with the support of ARVK, the lawyers of Vaki Bureau No. 2 carried out a free legal aid campaign for the citizens of Bilasuvar;
3. On July 23, 2021, on the initiative of the deputy of Milli Majlis Shahin Seyidzade and with the support of ARVK, the lawyers of Khirdalan city Bar Bureau organized a free legal aid campaign for the residents of Absheron and Gobustan districts;
4. On December 2, 2021, on the initiative of the Deputy Chairman of the Milli Majlis Adil Aliyev, with the support of ARVK, the lawyers of "Arbitrium" Lawyer's Office organized a free legal aid campaign in Narimanov district;
5. Within the framework of joint cooperation between the Ministry of Justice and the Bar Association, various free legal aid campaigns were held in the penitentiary institutions of the Penitentiary Service 6 times this year;
6. On December 28, 2021, on the initiative of the deputy of Milli Majlis Konul Nurullayeva and with the support of the Bar Association, the lawyers of the Bar Association No. 6 carried out a free legal aid campaign in the territory of Baku, Nizami district;
7. UNICEF and “ASAN Volunteers” Youth Organization in order to provide psychological and psychosocial support to people suffering from anxiety and fear during the Patriotic War within the project “Child protection in emergencies” on May 23 and July 17, 2021, Mingachevir and Ganja City Lawyer No. 1 The lawyers of the Bureau provided free legal assistance to the victims and low-income families during the armed conflict in Ashagi and Yukhari Agjakend villages of Goranboy region and Husanli village of Tartar region.
LEGAL ASSISTANCE AT THE EXPENSE OF THE STATE
In order to ensure more efficient and quality implementation of legal assistance provided at the expense of public funds, in accordance with the relevant decision of the Presidium, It is sent to HYTM by the courts operating in Baku. At the same time, taking into account the workload of advocacy organizations and the number of lawyers providing legal assistance at public expense, HYTM successfully distributes fairly and quickly among advocacy organizations operating in Baku.
1. Baku Court of Appeal (decision from June to date) 777 decisions;
2. Baku Military Court (decision from July to date) 233 decisions;
3. Baku Court of Grave Crimes (from August to date) 483 decisions;
4. 387 decisions of the Supreme Court (since the beginning of 2021);
5. Courts of districts of Baku (starting from September) 1711;
During the current year, 3591 decisions were sent to HYTM for execution. These decisions were divided according to the number of lawyers providing legal assistance at the expense of the state in the relevant bureaus and the workload of the bureau.
EVENTS:
1. On June 4, 2021, an online round table on "Entrepreneurship and legal assistance" was organized by ARVK HYTM with the participation of representatives of government and other agencies, lawyers and entrepreneurs;
2. On July 9, 2021, organized by ARVK HYTM, the Milli Majlis, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Economy, the Ombudsman's Office, the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture, the Azerbaijan Confederation of Entrepreneurs, Ankara Bar, PASHA Holding, Baku White City A large event on "Advocate's review of the management of apartment buildings (local and international experience)" was held with the participation of representatives of the project, "NEW LIFE" Group of Companies and other governmental and non-governmental bodies, the media;
3. In cooperation with the Bar Association and the Academy of Justice, an online HELP distance course on “Access to the European Court of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights” was organized under the Council of Europe's HELP program and 20 lawyers participated in the course;
4. On November 16-18, 2021, the last edition of the Octopus Conference on Cooperation in Cybercrime was organized by the Cybercrime Division of the Council of Europe;
5. Trainings were held on November 25-26, 2021 within the framework of the project “Alternative Dispute Resolution and Additional Support for the Development of Specialized Courts”;
6. On December 10, 2021, the Baku Office of the Council of Europe organized an online presentation on the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the European Court of Human Rights with the participation of representatives of governmental and non- governmental bodies, as well as students. About 100 lawyers participated in the training.
On the other hand, in 2021, ARVK and the Academy of Justice have been cooperating for many years, but the newly established HYTM has started cooperating this year and 5 trainings (19 days) have been organized within this framework.
Within the framework of joint cooperation between the Supreme Court and ARVK, 4 round tables dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the establishment of administrative courts in the Republic of Azerbaijan were organized: The event was attended by lawyers and judges.
IN THE FRAMEWORK OF COOPERATION WITH THE ACADEMY OF JUSTICE, THE FOLLOWING TRAININGS WERE HELD:
1. Awareness trainings on “Alternative Dispute Resolution and Mediation Issues” were organized on June 9-11, 14, 16-18 and 21-25. More than 250 lawyers participated in the trainings;
2. Training on "Procedural documents-modern requirements" on May 27, 2021;
3. The next current training on "Procedural documents-modern requirements" on May 31, 2021;
4. On September 24, 27 and 28, a refresher course on "Recent amendments to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on State Duty" was organized. More than 100 lawyers participated in the training;
5. On October 11 and 18, 2021, a training on "Amendments to the Civil Procedure Legislation, which came into force on October 1," was organized. More than 100 lawyers participated in the training;
6. On November 11, 16, 18, 23 with the participation of the Chairman of the Civil Board of the Supreme Court Sanan Hajiyev as a trainer to the jurisdictions of Sumgayit, Sheki, Shirvan and Ganja Courts of Appeal In-service trainings were conducted in the relevant regions. 198 lawyers participated in the trainings;
7. On November 24, 2021, ARVK, the Association of Banks of Azerbaijan and the Mediation Council held a meeting to discuss the prospects of mediation of banking disputes and the existing problems;
8. On November 25 and 26, 2021, seminars on "Mediation and Prospects" were held in Sheki and Ganja with the participation of lawyers, entrepreneurs, lawyers and mediators operating in the jurisdiction of the Sheki and Ganja Courts of Appeal, respectively;
9. On December 3, 2021, for ARVK members, “Fight against corruption in international and national legislation. Conflicts of interest and measures to prevent them ”and“ Compensation and benefits for victims of human trafficking ”online training courses were organized;
10. December 20, 2021 "Fundamentals of International Humanitarian Law and Steps on Violations in this Area" and "Improving the legal writing skills of lawyers." Trainings on “Legal writing techniques” were organized;
11. On December 24, 2021, a training on "Issues of application of modern information and communication technologies in the courts" was organized.
THE FOLLOWING TRAININGS WERE HELD IN THE FRAMEWORK OF COOPERATION WITH THE SUPREME COURT:
1. On June 21, 2021, the first discussion on "Actual problems of administrative proceedings" was held;
2. On June 25, 2021, the next discussion entitled "Gathering evidence in administrative proceedings: the responsibilities of the parties and the court" was held;
3. On July 2, 2021, a discussion entitled "Possibility of a lawsuit in administrative proceedings" was held.
4. On July 9, 2021, the last discussion was held on "The duty of the court and the right of participants in the proceedings."
COOPERATION WITH ELSA AZERBAIJAN
1. On August 26-27, 2021, ELSA Azerbaijan conducted a training on “Business and Human Rights” at HYTM with the support of ARVK;
2. On October 2-3, 2021, ELSA Azerbaijan conducted a training on "Corporate Law" at HYTM with the support of ARVK.
MEETINGS:
1. On April 9, 2021, a bilateral meeting was held with representatives of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to discuss prospects for cooperation;
2. On September 28, 2021, a bilateral meeting was held at HYTM with Mark Segal, a key expert on the project “Alternative Dispute Resolution and Additional Support for the Development of Specialized Courts in Azerbaijan”.
PRESENTATION OF CERTIFICATES
1. On July 12, 2021, a joint training course of the Council of Europe, the Supreme Court and the ARVC on “Accession to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the European Court of Human Rights” (HELP). The final meeting and the ceremony of awarding certificates to the participants who successfully completed the course were held.
2. On May 25, 2021, for the first time, a ceremony of awarding certificates to the participants of the training held for legal assistants was held on 30.11.2020-04.12.2020, organized by HYTM.
In conclusion, we would like to say that despite the fact that the above-mentioned covers some of the work done in the field of advocacy in the pandemic over the past year, the Bar Association will continue to strengthen its activities to serve our people and uphold our laws.
.png)
.png)
.jpeg)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
