Why is Lawyer's Day celebrated on December 3. December 3rd - Day of the Lawyer in Russia. Congratulations to all experts

On December 3, Russia officially celebrates Lawyer's Day. This date was not chosen by chance - according to the Old Russian style, this day fell on November 20, it was then in 1864 that a number of legislative charters and acts were adopted, which formed the basis for the upcoming judicial reform. Russian jurists celebrated November 20 as a professional holiday until the revolution itself, and when later, already in our days, a decision was made - what date to celebrate Lawyer's Day - it was decided to turn to the history of the country.

Who celebrates the holiday

This is a professional holiday for everyone who has devoted themselves to jurisprudence. The very concept of "lawyer" is a collective one, it denotes a general belonging to activities related to jurisprudence and justice. People of various directions work in this area:

• lawyers;
• prosecutors;
• human rights defenders;
• judges and justices of the peace;
• notaries;
• legal advisers.

But they are all united by a common concept: a lawyer.

From the history of jurisprudence

As an independent science, jurisprudence arose in Russia in the eighteenth century. The first Russian jurists were then engaged not so much in lawmaking as in streamlining the existing rules and statutes, bringing them to a single system. Peter the Great then fully trusted the German system of lawmaking, and therefore the German teachers who were discharged from abroad became the first teachers of law in Russia. Later, Russian teachers began to teach legal science.

From the history of the holiday

The initiator of the celebration of this day in Russia was the Regional Duma of Moscow. On January 29, 2008, at the congress of the Russian Legal Association, the initiative to create a professional holiday was supported by D. Medvedev, who was then Deputy Prime Minister.

February 4, 2008 by decree of the President of Russia V. Putin Lawyer's Day in Russia was established as an official holiday.

Lawyer's Day 2019 of the year is the eleventh official celebration of this professional day.

Related Holidays

Earlier in our country, certain professional categories were celebrated on holidays:

• employees of the notary;
• employees of the legal profession;
• employees of the prosecutor's office.

This holiday is also celebrated in friendly neighboring countries: Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova. It is noteworthy that this holiday was officially established in all these countries much earlier than in Russia, back in the 1990s.

Congratulations on Lawyer's Day

Since 2009, on December 3, the highest and most prestigious and professional award - "Lawyer of the Year" is awarded. This high award is presented by the Association of Lawyers of Russia, and among its laureates are outstanding Russian jurists Sergey Alekseev, Alexander Makovsky, Sergey Stepashin, Mikhail Barshchevsky

There are also several professional awards from regional as well as federal associations and organizations that operate throughout the country today.

On December 3, Russia celebrates Lawyer's Day. The decree establishing the holiday was signed February 4, 2008 Russian President Vladimir Putin.

ORIGINS OF JURISPRUDENCE

In Russia, jurisprudence as a science emerged in the 18th century. Before that, it was generally of a purely applied nature. The lawyers of Peter's time were engaged not so much in the theoretical processing of law as in its systematization, ordering of disparate, contradictory acts. The main content of the new system of training for the legal profession was the study of legal sciences in specially created educational institutions. The first legal scholars appeared in Russia at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, opened in 1725 at the behest of Peter I. Legal science and education received a new impetus in its development with the opening of Moscow University in 1755, where the Faculty of Law was formed.

German lawyers invited by Peter I began teaching legal sciences in Russia, but already in the middle of the 18th century, law was taught by Russian professional lawyers.

Two events brought domestic jurisprudence to a new level: the publication of the Complete Collection of Laws and the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire and the judicial reform of 1864. This period gave Russia a whole generation of lawyers who laid the foundation for the further development of science. They took German jurisprudence as the basis for Russian jurisprudence, first of all the leading direction at that time - the historical school of law.

LAWYER IN THE USSR

In the first years of the existence of the USSR, the lawyer was considered the bearer of the most important knowledge and was subject to mobilization for state building (along with military specialists). On May 11, 1920, the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR issued a decree "On the registration of persons with higher legal education", according to which these persons were required to register within three days in the departments of accounting and distribution of labor. Delay in registration was tantamount to desertion and was punished by the court.

In post-perestroika Russia the role and significance of the legal profession has radically changed, its authority and popularity have increased, new legal specialties have emerged (justices of the peace, bailiffs, private notaries, etc.); the structure, methods and forms of higher legal education have changed; new corporate and public associations of lawyers arose (notary chambers, professional associations of various categories of lawyers, associations of law schools, etc.).

MODERN LAWYER

Currently, there are several federal and dozens of regional public and non-profit corporate organizations of lawyers and their associations operating in Russia.

The current stage of reforms in Russia is characterized by the improvement and strengthening of the rule of law, the creation and development of democratic institutions of society.

PROFESSIONAL HOLIDAY

The initiative to establish a new professional holiday in Russia - the Day of the Lawyer - was first proposed by the Moscow Regional Duma, whose deputies submitted this proposal to the Association of Lawyers of Russia. Before that, only the Day of the Prosecutor's Office Worker and the Day of the Legal Service Specialist were celebrated in Russia. However, these categories of lawyers do not include employees of the legal profession in the field of lawmaking and law enforcement, and specialists working in other areas of the creation and application of legal norms. On January 29, 2008, at the congress of the Russian Lawyers Association, the idea of \u200b\u200bestablishing a new professional holiday was supported by the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev.

At the stage of putting forward the initiative, there were several options for setting the date itself. According to one of them, it was proposed to celebrate Lawyer's Day on February 28 - the day of memory of the Grand Duke of Kiev Yaroslav the Wise, who laid the foundation for the oldest code of laws "Russian Truth". Other proposals also included January 22 - the day on which, in 1724, the Senate considered a draft regulation on the establishment of the Academy of Sciences and Arts, in which the Faculty of Law was established.

As a result, the first Lawyer's Day in the modern history of Russia was celebrated in 2008 on December 3. On this day in 1864, a series of judicial statutes and other legislative acts were adopted in Russia, which became the basis for judicial reform, and it was this day, until 1917, that Russian legal scholars considered their professional holiday.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO BECOME A LAWYER FOR ALL LAWYERS?

Since 2009, on Lawyer's Day, the All-Russian public organization "Association of Russian Lawyers" has been awarding the highest legal award of Russia "Lawyer of the Year".

The annual prize is awarded to lawyers and jurists for their significant contribution to the formation of the rule of law, strengthening the rule of law and law and order, protecting the rights and legitimate interests of citizens and the development of legal science. The award is a recognition of the merits of highly qualified lawyers to society and the state.

Lawyer of the Legal Services Department

Finance studio for business "Deopolis"

This year, for the fifth time, a professional holiday is celebrated in Russia - Lawyer's Day.

Before the establishment of the Day of the Lawyer in Russia, only the day of the employee of the prosecutor's office and the day of the specialist of the legal service were celebrated. However, these categories of lawyers do not include employees of the legal profession in the field of lawmaking, law enforcement and specialists working in other areas of the creation and application of legal norms.

The initiative to establish a new professional holiday in Russia - the Day of the Lawyer - was first proposed by the Moscow Regional Duma, whose deputies submitted this proposal to the Association of Lawyers of Russia. On January 29, 2008, at the congress of the Russian Lawyers Association, the idea of \u200b\u200bestablishing a new professional holiday was supported by Dmitry Medvedev, First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.

On February 4, 2008, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Decree “On the Establishment of the Day of the Lawyer”, according to which December 3 was established as the Day of the Lawyer.

At the stage of putting forward the initiative, there were several options for setting the date itself. First, it was proposed to celebrate it on February 28 - on the day of memory of the Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise, who laid the foundation for "Russian Truth", or on January 22, when in 1724 the Senate considered the project of establishing a law faculty as part of the Academy of Sciences and Arts. But we stopped at the date of December 3. Why is not exactly explained anywhere. Perhaps because on this day - November 20, old style - in 1864, a series of judicial statutes and other legislative acts were adopted in Russia, which became the basis of judicial reform, and it was this day that Russian jurists considered their professional holiday until 1917.

Lawyer's Day is a holiday dedicated to lawyers working in various fields of activity. These are lawyers, notaries, judges, prosecutors, investigators, bailiffs, legal advisers. Many civil service positions require a higher legal education. Most often, lawyers by training work in such areas of general activity as trade, banking and insurance, management of legal entities, and public administration. The field of application of legal knowledge is huge and varied.

There are not many professions in the world that have such an ancient history as the profession of a lawyer.

The sophists of Ancient Greece are considered the forerunners of lawyers. They mastered the art of eloquence, helped citizens prepare for public speaking in court to protect their interests. The law of Ancient Greece did not allow representation, in court everyone had to defend their interests personally. The sophists gave only "legal advice" on what and how to say in court in order to defend their innocence, to build a logical chain of arguments and evidence.

The first lawyers (specialists who ensure the functioning of the legal system) appeared in ancient Rome. At that time, customs were the sources of law, and only patricians - the upper class of the indigenous inhabitants of Rome - were dedicated to law. The Collegium of Pontiffs of that time provided legal advice and developed uniform rules for the interpretation of sacred law. In the III century BC. plebeians were also admitted to the law - they received the right to receive legal advice from the pontiff. It was then that jurisprudence acquired secular - separated from religion - knowledge.

In subsequent eras, lawyers began to be asked for help in concluding transactions, in the presence of any legal doubts, to draw up claims. The lawyers were consulted on how to defend their interests in court. But lawyers almost did not act as representatives in courts.

Then the Roman emperors began to raise experienced lawyers to a special rank. Their opinion became binding on judges in specific cases and was applied in similar cases. At this time, the formalization of jurisprudence as a science begins.

Lawyers rose to prominence in public life during the era of the republic, and became even more important during the period of the empire. The exact sciences, jurisprudence and philosophy became honorary. A classical period has begun in the development of jurisprudence.

Even after the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century A.D. the legal profession remained one of the most respected. On the example of the speeches of ancient lawyers, the art of drawing up judicial speeches in universities of the Middle Ages was studied.

In Russia, jurisprudence arose in the 18th century during the reign of Peter I. Legal sciences were taught by German lawyers invited by the tsar, but by the middle of the 18th century, law was taught by Russian lawyers. To be a lawyer at that time meant to be a practitioner in the full sense of the word. The lawyers of Peter's time were engaged not so much in the theoretical processing of law as in its systematization, ordering of disparate, contradictory acts.

Two events brought domestic jurisprudence to a new level: the publication of the Complete Collection of Laws and the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire and the judicial reform of 1864. This period gave Russia a whole generation of lawyers who laid the foundations for the further development of science. They took German jurisprudence as the basis for Russian jurisprudence, primarily such a leading direction at that time as the historical school of law.

In the first years of the existence of the USSR, the lawyer was considered the bearer of the most important knowledge and was subject to indispensable mobilization for state building (along with military specialists). In post-perestroika Russia, the role and importance of the legal profession increased, its authority and popularity grew steadily, new legal specialties emerged (justices of the peace, bailiffs, private notaries, etc.); the structure, methods and forms of higher legal education have changed; new corporate and public associations of lawyers arose (notary chambers, professional associations of various categories of lawyers, associations of law schools, etc.).

Currently, there are several federal and dozens of regional public corporate organizations of lawyers and their associations operating in Russia. Legal reform is one of the main directions of state building.

The legal profession has always been attractive, and its prestige is growing every year. We are still far from Western countries, where a step will not be made without a lawyer, where a family lawyer is just as necessary as a family doctor, but this is exactly the direction we are moving in.

In the civilized world, every person is endowed with rights from birth, but only specialists know what these rights are, and most importantly - what right and when to apply.

Today many people naively believe that they are well versed in the field of law. Indeed, in stores, you can freely purchase the relevant literature. The text of a normative act can be memorized, and a sample contract or procedural document (for example, a statement of claim) can be easily taken from a brochure or found in Internet resources.

However, a specialist is not the one who, being able to read, mastered the texts of the laws, but the one WHO CAN CORRECTLY APPLY THEM!

A lawyer in any field of activity is an important, noticeable and, most importantly, necessary person. After all, it is the lawyer who will help to understand the intricacies of laws, decrees, decrees, instructions and other official acts.

By strictly observing all the established rules, the lawyer ensures the security of the organization in the legal sphere, and the result of his work is that the same organization has no "legal" problems.

It should be noted that lawyers are a universally unique people.

Universal - because they are almost thoroughly versed in various areas, the profession obliges to be "savvy" not only in the fields of law, but to know the specifics of specific areas of activity (for example, taxation, accounting, etc.).

And the uniqueness of lawyers lies in the fact that, according to the apt expression of the French writer Jean Girodoux, they can interpret law so freely, as even artists cannot do with nature. Such an imprint on the people of this interesting profession leaves the profession itself.

A lawyer is a specialist whose main task is to establish legal justice. This profession implies a huge responsibility, because it is on lawyers that the legal functioning of the state, the protection of citizens from offenders and the legal culture of society depend.

Today, the profession of a lawyer is one of the most respected and honorable, and training at law faculties is considered prestigious. At present, more than 700,000 students in Russian universities receive law degrees upon graduation. Law graduates have the opportunity to work in courts, law enforcement agencies, management organizations, legal services structures, etc. It is desirable that as many of this number as possible become worthy, highly qualified specialists.

There are not so many specialties in the world that are so responsible, respected and honorable, and at the same time so complicated as a lawyer.

The official activity of a lawyer is of a state nature. It is connected with the issues of maintaining state discipline, ensuring the rule of law, strengthening the rule of law, etc. Many lawyers hold positions in the state apparatus, are in the civil service and are endowed with powers of authority. The work of a lawyer is characterized by high requirements for the exact compliance of the decisions made by him with the current legislation. The lawyer is obliged to actively implement the policy of the state, responsibly treat the assigned case, be ready to protect the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of the individual, the interests of society and the state from unlawful encroachment.

The activities of a lawyer are characterized by a plurality of social ties, daily direct resolution of life situations arising in all spheres of people's life: in everyday life, family, work, economy, culture, social security, etc. And there is nothing more unprofessional for a lawyer than the manifestation of indifference, indifference to the fate of a person. The legal profession requires an individual to be objectivity, possessing a sense of justice and compassion, and personal impeccability.

A lawyer in the civil service, especially in law enforcement, constantly makes decisions that change the fate of people. But the consequences of such decisions can affect the lawyer as well. He is responsible - and quite strictly - for errors, omissions, oversights, in fact, for any errors, even arising from his negligence.

The lawyer has a very hard work, lack of a standardized working day and even a working week. Lawyers are often forced to work in the evenings on weekends.

The legal profession is associated with the ability to positively influence what is happening. A lawyer can help an unjustly offended person, protect the rights of a victim of a crime, help a person illegally dismissed from work, restore or defend disputed property or housing rights.

The work of a lawyer is a struggle for law, which does not always lead to victory. But the very focus of professional activity can bring many specialists high moral satisfaction. The attractiveness of the legal profession lies in its certain independence. Lawyers are usually subordinate to their leadership in one way or another, except for judges and people of the free profession - lawyers. Yet they make decisions in accordance with the law, and the interpretation of the law assumes independence. The better the lawyer thinks, the more he knows, the bolder and more persistent he is, the more accurate his decisions will be and thus the higher his reputation.

It is these wide opportunities for using one's intellect and character that give rise to a lawyer's satisfaction with his work. He develops his own style, craftsmanship, and most professionals enjoy it. An attractive feature of the legal profession is the ability to use it in various spheres of public life, in economics, art, sports, and journalism. It takes a lot of work to occupy good enough positions.

However, lawyers do hold high government posts. It will not be superfluous to recall that the former and current Presidents of our country are lawyers by education. In general, we can rightfully say that a really smart, highly qualified lawyer is a welcome employee, advisor and advisor in any area of \u200b\u200bprofessional activity.

But even in the most difficult work there are breaks, and even such a serious profession has a well-deserved holiday!

The celebration of the Day of the Lawyer is associated with the solemn events held on this day by the Association of Lawyers of Russia. On December 3, a meeting of the Central Council of the Russian Lawyers' Association and a solemn ceremony of presenting the annual highest legal award "Lawyer of the Year" takes place.

The Department of the Ministry of Justice of Russia for the Bryansk Region congratulates all fellow lawyers on our common professional holiday! We wish all representatives of the best profession good health, success and luck, professional growth and implementation of the plans, as well as material well-being and optimism!

Officially Lawyer's Day in Russia began to be celebrated only in 2008, when President V. Putin signed a decree establishing a new holiday: December 3 is now considered a professional holiday for all lawyers, in whatever field of activity they are employed. Although jurisprudence in Russia began to stand out as a separate science about 400-450 years ago, and originated even earlier, we did not have a single holiday for all lawyers - only holidays were celebrated for certain categories. In 2009, the highest legal award was also established - it is awarded to the best in the profession every year.

In general, jurisprudence is an ancient science: even in ancient Greece there was a whole pantheon of goddesses (it is noteworthy that not gods) who patronized justice, truth, law and justice.

The prototype of modern lawyers can be considered the ancient Greek sophists: in our understanding, they were not lawyers, but they perfectly mastered the art of speech, therefore they helped citizens prepare for protecting their interests in court - then everyone defended himself. We can say that sophists were closer to today's lawyers or legal advisers: they taught citizens to defend their rights in court, explaining to them what and when to say, how to use logic and present evidence.

Of course, law appeared in Rome - everyone knows this, but at first it was the privilege of the patricians - the poor defended themselves as best they could.

Then jurisprudence began to develop, and everyone got access to law; the emperors gave the most prominent jurists extensive powers. Without them, cases were not resolved in court, and soon jurisprudence became a separate science: in the II century A.D. appeared the first textbook of law - "Institutions", written by one of the most influential lawyers in Rome - Guy.

The Roman Empire ceased to exist, but the legal profession remained respected and prestigious. In the Middle Ages, many universities in Europe began to teach law, basing their teaching on the recorded speeches of famous lawyers of antiquity.

England occupies a special place in the history of the development of jurisprudence: in the same medieval era, every wealthy Englishman had his own lawyer - land disputes in the country were endless. The land tenure system was complex, and this provided food for many legal proceedings - only kings managed to retain their rights to land, but they had to take part in wars over this. Of course, English lawyers were getting good money then.

In Russia, lectures on law began to be read in the middle of the 18th century, at Moscow University: at first irregularly, and then systematically. Lawyers began to work earlier, even under Peter I, and their activities were focused on the practical side: they were constantly forced to improve and systematize the laws of that time, which were contradictory and fragmented. However, they also tried to teach legal sciences during the life of Peter I - he invited German lawyers for this, but after his death the case stalled for almost 30 years.

In the second half of the 18th century, similar lectures began to be given in other universities, and in 1835 the first special educational institution for the training of lawyers was opened in St. Petersburg - the School of Law.

The purpose of opening this educational institution was to train competent personnel for judicial and administrative activities; it was subordinate to the Ministry of Justice, it was closed and had a high status - only young men from noble families were accepted there.

The next important stages in the history of Russian jurisprudence were the publication of the first Complete Collection of Laws - from the Cathedral Code of 1649 to the very end of the reign of Alexander I in 1825, and the Code of Laws of the Empire, as well as the judicial reform carried out in 1864.

During this time, lawyers appeared in the country who managed to lay the foundations for the development of this science in the future. Russian jurisprudence was based on the German one, but many Russian scholars have created brilliant and original works in this area - they have not lost their significance today. The prestige of the legal profession increased even more, and by the beginning of the 20th century, legal sciences in Russia began to flourish.

After the October Revolution, the importance of legal education for some reason began to decline, and this was especially pronounced until the 60s, and in the 70s-80s it became noticeable that legal science in the USSR was monotonous. Significance was attached to two basic dogmas: law and law are one and the same; the interests of the state must be respected before any others.

Soviet lawyers were obliged to work only for the benefit of the state. There was even a special decree obliging all persons with a higher legal education to undergo special registration, and those who delayed with this were threatened with a trial. Lawyers did not work, but performed labor obligations, but the jurisprudence in Russia still continued to develop.

After perestroika, towards the end of the 1980s, everything changed again: reforms began - state and legal institutions had to be adapted to new conditions. The legal profession has become popular again and has grown in importance; new specialties appeared (or rather, they were revived anew) - private notaries, bailiffs, etc.

Today, legal education is different: many educational institutions, including commercial ones, have appeared; in training specialists, they began to pay more attention to the practical side; there were associations of lawyers - public and corporate. The point is to "turn" the jurisprudence to face society, so that today the most important direction has become legal reform.

The Moscow Regional Duma was the first to come up with a proposal to establish a new professional holiday - in fact, it should have been established much earlier. The Day of the Legal Service Specialist and the Day of the Prosecutor's Office Worker were celebrated before, but many specialists working in other areas are not included in these categories. Dmitry Medvedev, who was then First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, supported the initiative of the deputies, but the date was not chosen immediately.

First, they remembered February 28 - the day of memory of Yaroslav the Wise, since the first set of Russian laws is associated with this grand duke; there was also a proposal to celebrate the holiday of lawyers on January 22 - in 1724, on this day, the Senate considered a project in which there was a place for the establishment of a law faculty - as part of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

However, in a decree signed in February 2008 by Vladimir Putin, the Day of the Lawyer was established on December 3 - this is connected with another memorable date, which in all respects has the most direct relation to the legal scholars of Russia. In 1864, on November 20 (December 3, according to the new style), legislative acts were adopted, including the judicial statutes, which marked the beginning of the judicial reform, and this day was considered a holiday among all Russian lawyers - until the October Revolution.

Today, no sphere of life is complete without lawyers: they are needed in politics and economics, in cultural life and in art, in medicine, sports practice, production, pedagogy - competent specialists are in demand everywhere. Professionalism is very important for lawyers, however, first of all, a lawyer must be a real person who shares all the basic values \u200b\u200bof society. It is the lawyer who is the one who in any situation defends the rights of a particular person, seeking fair observance of the rule of law. The responsibility here is enormous, and not everyone can be a real lawyer, although a lot of people study at law faculties.

It is important for us that lawyers apply their knowledge in accordance with the rules of modern Russian legislation: this is necessary not only for leaders, economists, managers, but also for ordinary workers and employees - everyone is interested in observance of rights and freedoms.

We congratulate all lawyers on this holiday - real professionals and real people, citizens of their country and members of civil society. Your profession is very important and responsible, and there are no hopeless situations for true lawyers - love for their work helps them to win.

We wish you brilliantly solve the most difficult problems, win the most difficult cases, and never stop before difficulties. Always be healthy, prosperous, rich and lucky!

Gataulina Galina
for women's magazine website

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