The Legal Sector for War-Torn Ukraine

The ongoing war in Ukraine has affected all spheres of human life. Representatives of the legal sector in Georgia were legally involved in this process as well. By waging war against civilians, cities and non-military facilities, Russia grossly violated the international conventions of humanitarian law. was protested by the civilized world from various tribunes. In the future, all this will become the subject of international court proceedings, for which the evidence of the most serious crimes is being gathered; before that, legal aid is needed for the survivors of the horrors of war and the ones who managed to flee the country.

From the very first days of the war, Georgian legal representatives tried to stand by Ukraine as much as possible. Their assistance to the IDPs who arrived in Georgia was especially noteworthy. The people affected by the hostilities faced a number of legal problems. It was important for them to know a number of legal issues – starting from their own status to the details of living in Georgia. Representatives of both state and private law firms assisted in this, completely free of charge.

Giorgi Tshekhani, Executive Director of the Georgian Bar Association, and Sergi Jorbenadze, Managing Partner and CEO of JG Counselors, talk about the measures they have taken for the citizens of war-torn Ukraine – inside and outside Georgia. Also, in the context of corporate responsibility, they review the actions of their organizations in relation to these processes.

Giorgi Tshekhani, Executive Director of Georgian Bar Association

– Representatives of various fields respond to the ongoing war in Ukraine according to their profession. What is the main challenge for the legal sector in this process?

– The main priority and at the same time, the main challenge, of the Georgian legal sector was to maintain close communication with our Ukrainian counterparts despite the difficult war situation, to receive information about their needs on a regular basis and to promote the legal profession and the interests of Ukrainian citizens in regional and international professional associations. This is what we have focused our efforts on and we have been able to advocate for Ukraine in support of a number of international forums or foreign bar associations.

– At the end of March, the European Bar Association held a webinar on “War against Ukraine – Humanitarian Law and the European Response: The European Union and its Member States.” How was the meeting conducted and what was the position of the Georgian Bar Association?

– The meeting was very representational and was attended by many famous lawyers from different European countries. It can be said unequivocally that the common position of all the participants of the meeting was that the aggression initiated by Putin is an attack on the fundamental principles of democracy and a clear violation of international law. These include important international instruments such as the UN Charter, the Paris Charter for a New Europe, the OSCE Charter on Europe and the Budapest Memorandum on Security Guarantees. The universally accepted law prohibits the use or threat of use of force in international relations, except for acts based on a resolution of the Defense or UN Security Council, none of which is substantiated in the course of an aggressive war waged by Russia. At the same time, it is clear that the conduct of war against civilians, cities and non-military facilities is in gross violation of international conventions of humanitarian law.

– What were the activities carried out by your organization, from the beginning of the war until today? What kind of assistance did you provide to the citizens of Ukraine?

– Of course, in such a difficult situation, it is very important to support our Ukrainian friends and Ukrainian society. The fact that these people have been strongly and unequivocally supported by our society is welcomed by both citizens and representatives of various professional circles. The fact that the Georgian Bar Association had close ties with its Ukrainian counterparts since the beginning of the war was an expression of professional solidarity. We were constantly receiving information about their needs and based on these needs we planned various solidarity campaigns. For example, after receiving information that a number of Ukrainian colleagues had suffered injuries as a result of their involvement in hostilities, lost property, and found themselves in dire financial straits, the Bar Association launched a fundraising campaign in which a number of Georgian lawyers and law firms made financial donations.

We have learned that a number of Ukrainian citizens who were forced to leave their country have found themselves in need of legal assistance in various countries, including Georgia. Therefore, we have created a team of highly qualified lawyers, who have been involved in a special pro bono program and within the framework of which voluntary legal aid is still provided – for Ukrainians who are traveling here or are already in Georgia.

– Were legal services provided to  Ukrainians who came to Georgia and what kind of services were most often needed by the war refugees?

– As I have already mentioned, the Bar Association is implementing a free legal aid project for Ukrainian lawyers who are in Georgia or who wish to enter Georgia.

To date, the Bar Association has provided legal assistance to more than 50 citizens of Ukraine on issues such as asylum in Georgia, granting refugee or humanitarian status, border crossings and housing. This project will continue as long as the need for such assistance exists for our Ukrainian friends.

– What is the corporate responsibility of the legal sector in the current situation in terms of human rights protection? To what extent do the actions of Georgian law firms comply with international standards in this direction?

– The most important and valuable activity in the field of corporate responsibility, which can be carried out by lawyers and law firms, is free legal aid for those who, due to financial or other factors, are unable to protect their rights.

In recent years, the Bar Association has been actively promoting corporate responsibility in the legal profession through various donor-supported voluntary projects.

It should be noted that we have made significant progress in this direction: a number of qualified lawyers and law firms are already interested in pro-bono activities, however, we continue to work to make this area of ​​corporate responsibility even more popular in Georgia.

– How does your organization intend to help Ukraine and its citizens in the future?

– We will continue to maintain active relations with our Ukrainian counterparts and, if necessary, take additional steps of solidarity, in parallel with the measures we have already talked about.

Sergi Jorbenadze, Managing Partner, CEO of JG Counselors

-JG Counselors is a Georgian law firm that combines modern legal practice, scientific knowledge and international relations. Naturally, this sector has a special burden in the current war in Ukraine. What was the main challenge for the representatives of the legal field in the current situation from a moral-legal point of view? What kind of reaction could Georgian law firms have to all this?

– Russia’s aggressive war has created many problems. First of all, for the citizens of Ukraine and also, for all those people whose activities were related to doing business in this country.

The main problem in the case of Ukrainian citizens was that Ukrainians who came to visit Georgia as tourists found themselves in an unpredictable situation because they could not return to their homeland. Their status in Georgia was also unclear. In this regard, immediate measures should have been taken to provide them with information, ranging from an awareness-raising campaign to appropriate legal services. Solidarity expressed on social media alone cannot be enough. Solidarity needed to be put into practice.

– What were the activities carried out by your organization from the beginning of the war until today? What kind of assistance did you provide to the citizens of Ukraine?

– First of all, the creation of so-called “bridge of cooperation” is noteworthy for development of Georgian-Ukrainian relations. It all started with the fact that one of the companies we provide legal services was interested in hiring Ukrainian employees. JG Counselors mediated and, in communication with Ukrainian colleagues and friends, sought out a person employed by the Georgian organization. After that, we developed a database where the contact information of all potential Georgian employers who had the opportunity and expressed a similar desire was placed. The database was sent to Ukrainian colleagues, as well as to organizations (on the territory of Ukraine) that work in this direction. Consequently, there was an opportunity for Ukrainian citizens to contact potential Georgian employers directly.

Since the beginning of the war, JG Counselors has connected with Ukrainian citizens through various social media networks and offering free consulting services. To date, our company has provided various types of services to about 30 citizens of Ukraine free of charge. In several cases, assistance was related to relocating businesses to Georgia and related transactions. In addition, JG Counselors has been an active participant in various Ukrainian support forums or platforms, helping Ukrainians both financially and in terms of raising awareness.  

– Were the legal services provided to the Ukrainians who came here and what kind of services were most often needed by the war refugees?

– The most common issues were related to contractual legal relations (rent, lease), housing issues, business registration, opening a bank account for both individuals and legal entities, various aspects of remote work and granting legal status to war victims.

– What is the corporate responsibility of the legal sector in the current situation in terms of human rights protection? To what extent do the actions of Georgian law firms comply with international standards?

– It is difficult to assess this issue without proper research and the position can be expressed only by isolated examples. But we can talk about our company’s approaches: in the Georgian market, JG Counselors is a rare company that uses the Human Rights Based Approach in customer relations, which provides not only consulting, but also empowering clients in a law firm. In the future, this implies their proper and prepared involvement in a similar situation. In addition, a gender-sensitive approach to every service or consultation provided is guaranteed in all cases. Therefore, as we have said, it is difficult to evaluate the approach of all Georgian law firms, however, the activities of our company in this regard are fully in line with international standards.

– How is your company going to help Ukraine and its citizens in the future?

– Our company is open to every Ukrainian citizen. We are ready, as before, to continue their help completely free of charge. Each of us is well aware of what war means, especially the relationship with Russia and the people affected by the war. This knowledge allows us to see the problems of Ukrainians from their point of view, which is crucial in terms of resolving these issues carefully.

In the future, our company plans to provide pro-bono services to Ukrainians not only during this aggressive war, but also in the coming years. We are confident that Ukraine will win the battle for truth and return to the usual rhythm of life in the nearest future.