Bohdan Khmelnytsky met with the Bar Council of Lombardy during a study tour to Italy

As part of a study tour to Italy, Bohdan Khmelnytsky, founder and managing partner of Strategic Advocacy Law Firm, met with representatives of the Lombardy Bar Council, a 25-member bar self-government body.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the peculiarities of the functioning of the bar in Italy, its role in the justice system and the current challenges facing lawyers. Particular attention was paid to the issue of professional standards and ethics.

Representatives of the Council shared interesting information about the legal community of Milan: currently, there are up to 30 thousand lawyers registered here, including more than 22,000 practicing lawyers and about 3,000 trainees. In total, there are about 250 thousand lawyers in Italy. The bar exam is difficult and competitive, with only about 10% of candidates passing it. In addition, there is a specialized pension fund for lawyers with assets of more than 20 billion euros.

The level of compliance with ethical norms is equally indicative: disciplinary proceedings can be initiated even if one lawyer has addressed another lawyer – by phone or in writing – and the latter has not responded.

Bohdan Khmelnytsky noted that such a frank conversation was not only a source of useful information, but also an occasion for deeper reflection on the possibilities of raising the standards of the legal profession in Ukraine.