Mogilev and Gomel Regions: The Antileaders'
A notable dynamic shift, unfortunately for the worse, is immediately evident in the Mogilev and Gomel regions.
Previously, the Mogilev region was already among the 'antileaders'. However, in addition to 11 legal advice offices (Glusk, Goretsky, Dribyn, Kirov, Klimovichi, Klichev, Krasnopolsk, Mstislavl, Khotim, Chausk, Cherikov districts) that had only one attorney each six months ago, three more districts — Kruglyansky, Krichev, and Belynichy — have now joined this list. This increase brings the total number of legal advice offices with only one attorney in the Mogilev region to 14. It is important to note that the change in status for Bialynichy and Kruglanski districts is due to their transition from 'lawyerless' consultations, as these districts had no legal specialists at all six months prior. Currently, only the Slavgorod rayon office is critically understaffed.
Consequently, 15 out of 21 districts in the Mogilev region now present concerns regarding the adequacy of legal aid provision.
In the
Gomel region, the Chechersk district, previously staffed by only one specialist, has welcomed a second attorney. However, this remains the sole piece of positive news from the region. The number of legal offices with just one attorney has increased. Initially restricted to Kormiansk, Lelchitski, and Loievski districts, it now includes consultations in Bragin, Buda-Koshelevski, Yelsk, and Oktyabrski districts. This increase brings the total in the region from four to seven. Meanwhile, the Narovlya district office continues to operate without any attorneys.
There are now
11 legal advice offices in Vitebsk staffed by only one attorney — in districts such as Beshenkovichi, Gluboki, Gorodoki, Dokshitsky, Lioznensky, Sennensky, Ushachy, and Shumilinsky. Recently, Lepelsky, Rossonsky, and Toloinsky districts have also joined this list. While Rossonsky district gained an attorney, Sharkovski district, previously served by one attorney, has now become 'empty.' Dubrovensk District also remains without a single legal specialist. With 21 districts in total, the Vitebsk region's situation is dire, as
entire geographical areas have extremely limited access to legal aid. In total, residents in 13 out of 21 districts in the Vitebsk region face highly questionable access to legal services.
In the
Brest region, the number of offices with at least one attorney has increased to two (from one six months ago): Lyakhovichi and Gantsevichi districts. Previously, we cited the Brest region as 'the most problem-free,' thanks to larger offices in Brest, Pinsk, and Baranavichy. The emergence of new legal advice offices with only one attorney is noted, but the region still remains among those with at least one specialist per office, a status it shares with the Grodno region.
Stability in Minsk and Hrodna In
Hrodna region, all the offices continue to be staffed with at least one specialist. The Korelichi district maintains its single lawyer, and the Zelva district has recently followed suit. The Svisloch district office, which previously had only one attorney, has now been augmented with a new lawyer, licensed in June of this year.
In
Minsk, the situation remains stable with all legal advice offices staffed by more than one specialist; no offices are empty.
However, several well-known names have disappeared from the list of attorneys
. E. Zhdanovich and
M. Ageyev (who was detained, though attorneys typically remain on the list until a verdict is issued) are no longer listed.
Maria Dobrotvorskaya,
once a member of the disciplinary commission of the Minsk City Bar Association, is also no longer part of the Minsk City Bar Association.
As of March 2023, there were six lawyerless offices in the
Minsk region. Three of these (Minsk Regional Legal Advice Office No. 6, Minsk Regional Specialised Legal Advice Office "Business, Law, Taxes", and the Fanipol office) no longer exist. Meanwhile, the legal consultations in the Luban and Uzden districts remain empty. The Stolbtsy district office, which
lost its attorneys due to repressive actions from the Bar's self-government bodies, was previously marked as 'empty.' However, a subsequent inspection revealed the presence of three attorneys as listed on the Association's website. Currently, there are two attorneys with licenses issued in December 2022 and July 2023.
Minsk City Bar Association: Negative Dynamics Despite No Apparent Issues
The total number of attorneys in Minsk has decreased to 611, down from 637 six months ago. While the overall number of attorneys in Belarus also declined during this period (from 1690 to 1616), the proportion of attorneys in Minsk relative to the country remains roughly the same, at about 38% of Belarus's total legal workforce.
According to Belstat's official data as of January 1, 2023, Minsk's population stood at 1,995,471. This leads to a ratio of
one attorney per 3,265 inhabitants in Minsk (compared to one per 3,130 six months ago), highlighting a negative trend. This decline is noteworthy, particularly considering the apparent adequacy of staffing at legal advice offices in Minsk. It also raises concerns about the effectiveness and quality of legal assistance given such a high client-to-attorney ratio.
Distribution of the outflow of attorneys by Bar Associations During the past six months, the distribution of attorneys who have left their respective bar is as follows:
Minsk City Bar Association - 36 attorneys
Minsk Regional Bar Association - 21 attorneys
Gomel Regional Bar Association - 10 attorneys
Vitebsk Regional Bar Association - 9 attorneys
Grodno Regional Bar Association - 8 attorneys
Mogilev Regional Bar Association - 7 attorneys
Brest Regional Collegium of Advocates - 5 attorneys
A total of 96 attorneys have left the Bar for various reasons. This marks a shift from the times when there was a systematically higher outflow of attorneys from the Minsk City Bar Association and the Minsk Regional Bar Association compared to other bars. Currently, the proportion of attorneys leaving the first two associations aligns with their representation in the total attorney population (38% and 21% respectively). Notably, the Brest Regional Bar Association, which constitutes 11% of attorneys, has only seen 5% of its specialists leave. This is significant, considering that the Brest region previously had the best record for staffing consultations with attorneys.
A slightly higher proportion of departures was observed among attorneys who practiced individually until 2022, when repressive amendments to the Bar legislation were enacted. These individual practitioners, who now make up 12% of the total attorney population, accounted for 13% of the departures. In contrast, only 6% of specialists who previously worked in law offices left, despite them constituting 15% of the total number of attorneys. It is worth remembering that both the leadership of the Ministry of Justice and the country's de facto leadership often criticized individual attorneys and those from advocates' bureaus as the 'rotten apples' tarnishing the Bar's overall image. However, the data indicates that the exodus from the Bar is occurring at similar rates among both the criticized groups and 'ordinary' attorneys.
The situation in the legal field is further complicated by the disbarment of attorneys following
disciplinary sanctions for committing a 'misdemeanor discrediting the title of lawyer.' The Vitebsk Regional Bar Association notably saw three such cases in the past six months, a significant number given its relatively low number of attorneys. Notable cases include the disbarment of
I. Stepanov (for liking a page of an online shop, which was included in the national list of extremist materials since August 2022, under Article 19.11 Part 2 of the Code of Administrative Offences) and
A. Ulasevich and
S. Yakushev (who, according to unconfirmed reports, were disciplined for charitable donations to solidarity funds).
Conclusions
As of January 1, 2023, the Republic's estimated population was 9,200,617, with 1,616 attorneys serving the entire country. This equates to one attorney per 5,693 people. For context, in February 2023, the ratio
was slightly better at one attorney per 5,500 people.
With such a ratio, it's crucial to note that the Minsk City Bar and Minsk Regional Bar together have 945 specialists, comprising 58% of the country's total legal workforce.
Outside of Minsk and the Minsk region, the ratio of legal aid provision
drops to
one attorney per 10,731 people.
In the past six months, 35 candidates passed the exam and were admitted to the Bar, a positive development compared to the six candidates admitted
in the previous period. Nonetheless, the number of practicing attorneys in Belarus is on the decline. This decrease is attributed to the increasingly challenging working conditions over the last three years and the frequent
recertifications.
Regrettably, there are no signs of a reversal in this trend, indicating that the exodus from the Bar is likely to persist.