EurAsEC advocates associations meet in Almaty

Almaty, December 01, 2009, Khabar - Participants in an international conference in Almaty held the general opinion that advocates from the Eurasian Economic Community must have an opportunity to provide legal assistance to any member-state of the organization. The event was attended by the heads of advocate associations from Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. The current laws used in the Eurasian Economic Community do not allow foreign lawyers to operate in the member-countries. For instance, if a businessman from Kazakhstan needs legal help from Kazakhstan’s advocate in Russia, its unlikely to be provided quickly. The law permits foreign advocates to work in the country but his permit application may take up to 3 months to be considered. The same system can be found in any other EurAsEC and CIS member-state. That is why the lawyers proposed the recognition of advocate licenses in any country of the Eurasian Economic Community.
Anuar Tugel, President, Kazakhstan Union of Advocates:
- The main aim of the conference is to raise all the topical issues and harmonise our laws to be able to acquire something like the status of a universal lawyer who can provide legal assistance in the whole of Eurasia.
Gennadiy Sharov, Vice-President of the Russian Federal Advocates Unions:
- Both citizens and companies must have the right to use the advocate service from their trustees. It is probably more convenient for Kazakhstan’s businessmen operating in Russian to use Kazakhstan’s advocates. In order to make it possible, their advocates have to meet common requirements which are normally set for practicing lawyers.