ON JUNE 11, 2021, AN INTERREGIONAL EXPERT DISCUSSION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION STANDARDS IN THE SPECIALTY OF LAW FOR BACHELORS AND MASTERS TOOK PLACE.
THE EVENT WAS ORGANIZED BY THE EU PROJECT “PRAVO-JUSTICE” JOINTLY WITH THE USAID NEW JUSTICE PROGRAM WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE REGIONAL JUSTICE REFORM COUNCILS (RJC). Based on the results of the discussions and identified problems, experts from both projects will prepare Methodological Recommendations for the implementation of higher education standards in the specialty of law for bachelors and masters.
In his opening remarks , Andriy Boyko, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Law of the Scientific and Methodological Council of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, national expert of the EU Law-Justice Project, emphasized the need to constantly update educational standards: “In order for the guidelines to meet the needs faced by higher education institutions, we want to hear from you which provisions of the standard require clarification and detail. The standard should be a “living document” that takes into account the peculiarities of the formation of educational programs in higher education institutions and, of course, it should be changed.”
Marta Mochulska, Deputy Dean of the Law Faculty of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, coordinator of the Lviv CGLR, spoke about the challenges faced by law schools in implementing standards at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, namely: shaping the content of the educational program, ensuring real selectivity of educational components, creating a culture of internal quality assurance, organization of internships, lack of significant difference between bachelor’s and master’s levels of education, etc.
“It is important not just to formally approach the introduction of educational standards and their implementation, but to develop a proper culture of their implementation. And here, communication activities and explanations are needed for higher education institutions to explain why it is beneficial for them to form a system of internal quality assurance,” said Marta Mochulska.
Andriy Boyko, among other things, emphasized the need to develop practical skills and abilities in students: “The basis of the educational program should be the graduate’s ability to carry out professional activities.”
For her part, Oksana Melenko, Associate Professor of Public Law at Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, focused on the issues of internships for masters, admission to higher education institutions for junior professional bachelors, implementation of the standard for distance learning, and internal quality assurance. Iryna Butyrska, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor of the Department of Procedural Law of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, Managing Partner of Lex Advance Attorneys at Law and Coordinator of the Chernivtsi CBAemphasized the need for students to develop practical and communication skills: “A lawyer must not only work well, but also communicate information to his clients, be able to explain complex legal structures to citizens in simple language and even sell his services, so soft skills are also important in the work of future lawyers.”

Gintaras Švedas, international expert of the EU Law-Justice Project, professor at Vilnius University, former Vice-Minister of Justice of Lithuaniadrew attention to the importance of proper scientific training of masters: “A master’s degree is the first academic degree. Therefore, at this level, we also have to think about scientific skills, about the student’s ability to conduct research.” The participants also discussed the issues of staffing and material support for law schools.
In conclusion, Andriy Boyko assured the participants that the most difficult provisions that are not reflected in the standards or are not clear enough will be covered in the preparation of the guidelines.
It is planned that they will be finalized and sent to higher education institutions by September. For reference:The Regional Justice Reform Councils (RJCs) were established with the support of the EU Pravo-Justice Project and operate in Chernivtsi, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa regions and Donbas. To date, members of the Councils have been actively involved in the preparation of a draft law on mediation, amendments to the Bankruptcy Code, proposals to improve legislation on enforcement proceedings, the introduction of an electronic court, and discussions on the concept of transitional justice. The RECs act as permanent working groups that promote the implementation of reforms in accordance with the bottom-up principle: by bringing region-specific challenges and their potential solutions to the level of central authorities.