Final Report: Legal Profession Practice Analysis Regarding Knowledge, Abilities, Skills and Professional Values Law School Graduate Should Possess to Meet Modern Job Market Demands

The study was conducted by the All-Ukrainian Civil Society Organization "Ukrainian Marketing Association" with funding from the USAID FAIR Justice Project. Public complaints on the operations of courts and law enforcement bodies in Ukraine highlighted the need for legal education reform. The current content and methodology of legal training in Ukrainian law schools adhere to Soviet approaches, which negatively affects the understanding of law by law students and the image of the legal profession. The transfer to teaching students and their learning issues of philosophy and principles of law, mastering the value of a rule of law state, and understanding ensuring new quality and role of a lawyer and legal profession in a free democratic society are taking place unjustifiably slow. The USAID FAIR Justice Project initiated and funded the conduction of a survey to determine the expectations of the labor market. The collected data may further serve in developing a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) of the legal profession and legal profession standards. The survey aimed to get accurate information about the desired scope of knowledge, list of skills, abilities, and professional values that must be fostered in a law school graduate, determine the interest of professional associations of Ukrainian lawyers in being involved in the process of developing professional standards of the legal profession, and discuss survey results with key institutions. The survey involved a desk research of the current situation in the system of legal education, analyzing information about operations of civil society and self-governed organizations in legal and adjacent fields. A field study was conducted, surveying 416 persons, including employers in the legal field, leadership of legal departments of state bodies, owners, heads, and managers of enterprises and organizations of a private sector in the field of legal practice. Verification of the expediency of recommendations received during the field study took place through in-depth interviews with representatives of CSOs and self-governed organizations, representatives of specialized higher education institutions, heads of legal services, and HR managers of enterprises. The survey resulted in forming a list of major requirements to lawyers on the part of labor market representatives and outlining problems in the field of education and their solutions. Draft recommendations on bringing legal education in Ukraine closer to labor market demands were developed and discussed by professional community and representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science and Ministry of Justice at a roundtable. The study identified major drawbacks of the existing legal education system, including the lack of a clear understanding of the role of a lawyer and the legal profession in a free democratic society. The survey results highlighted the need for a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) of the legal profession and legal profession standards, which should be developed in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education." The study recommended that the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine establish effective cooperation with education and professional community to organize jointly work on training, re-training, and ongoing training of specialists under a specialty "Legal Studies" in educational institutions. The survey results should facilitate the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in exercising its powers regarding systematic tracking and analysis of labor market demands and facilitating employment of graduates of higher education institutions. The study should also help the Government to ensure broad participation of representatives of employers in training and making decisions related to regulating the interaction of components of higher education and its operations.