Reception on the occasion of founding the German Bar Association in Ukraine took place in Kyiv

Arzinger, Kyiv, Ukraine, 
Monday, June 23, 2014

On June 11, 2014 the German Embassy in Kyiv hosted a grand celebration on the occasion of founding the German Bar Association in Ukraine (DAV Ukraine). The event was attended by more than one hundred and twenty guests, including politicians, attorneys-at-law, lawyers, and business representatives.

The opening speech on the role of law in the life of society was delivered by Chairman of the Legal Affairs and Consumer Protection Committee in the German Bundestag, attorney-at-law Ms. Renate Künst, and attorney-at-law Prof. Dr. Lars Kirchhoff of the European University Viadrina (Frankfurt on the Oder), Director of the Institute of Conflict Management. The guests were also welcomed by Senior Partner at Arzinger and Chairman of the Board of DAV in Ukraine Wolfram Rehbock, German Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Ukraine Dr. Christof Weil, attorney-at-law and Board member of DAV,Dr. Claudia Seibel, and Deputy Director of the German Fund for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ) Dr. Stefan Hülshörster. The National Bar Association of Ukraine was represented by Andriy Kostin.

Apart from the reception, the event included a discussion, where participants had the opportunity to discuss the prospects of mediation in times of the Ukrainian crisis.  The discussion was moderated by Deputy Chairman of the Board of DAV in Ukraine, attorney-at-law Hartmut Rank.

Ms. Renate Künst, attorney-at-law, Chairman of the Legal Affairs and Consumer Protection Committee in the German Bundestag, notes that it is very important for people to be able to rely on the law and democracy values, given the tense situation in Ukraine in domestic and foreign policy. She points out that important are not only an adequate legal system and independent justice, but also the properly functioning legal profession. DAV is the organization that can make a significant contribution in this regard.

DAV in Ukraine, like similar organizations that already exist in countries such as Brazil, France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Turkey, is an association that represents professional and economic interests of its members, facilitates their professional cooperation and interchange, and acts as a point of contact for local associations in international legal relations. DAV Ukraine accumulates interests and creates opportunities for cross-border cooperation of German and Ukrainian lawyers providing legal services on the international level. “By promoting cross-border advocacy, we want to strengthen the German-Ukrainian legal and economic relations,” underlines Chairman of the Board of DAV in Ukraine, Senior Partner at Arzinger Wolfram Rehbock, thus substantiating the establishment of the Association. “All that Ukraine needs is good governance and the rule of law. Unfortunately, we have no influence on the former, while we will dedicate ourselves to the latter. We hope to cooperate with Ukrainian colleagues within the DAV to strengthen the position of the legal profession in Ukraine. This cooperation would enable lawyers to share their experiences and knowledge and will bring their activities into line with higher standards,” he said. From the perspective of lawyers one should do everything possible to resolve the crisis in Ukraine by legal methods.