"The judge is working, the prosecutor is working, but the lawyer was mobilized?": In Ukraine, signatures are being collected for exemptions

"Who will defend a person if the defender himself has no guarantees?": Mykolaiv lawyer urged support for the reservation of lawyers

Цей матеріал також доступний:

14 Aug 2026

0 702

On the e-petitions website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, signatures are being collected to include lawyers in the list of persons liable for military service who may be eligible for reservation during mobilization. Petition №41/010625-26 “On including Ukrainian lawyers in the list of persons who may be subject to reservation for the period of mobilization” was submitted by Mykyta Oleksandrovych Zavhorodniy; the signature collection began on 12 August 2026. For its consideration by the Cabinet, 25,000 signatures must be collected. (Electronic petitions)

The petition author proposes amending Cabinet Resolution №36 of 14 January 2025 so that lawyers with a valid certificate of the right to practice law and entered in the Unified Register of Lawyers of Ukraine could be eligible for reservation. It is also proposed to introduce a simplified procedure for processing reservations through the Council of Lawyers of Ukraine and the qualification and disciplinary commissions of the bar, and to provide a separate mechanism for lawyers working in the free secondary legal aid system. (Electronic petitions)

The petition author argues that the Constitution guarantees citizens the right to professional legal assistance, while the mobilization of a lawyer can directly affect people whom they already defend in criminal, administrative, or civil cases. The petition also separately mentions cases concerning appeals of decisions of the TCK and SP. (ADVOKAT POST)

The initiative was called for support by a lawyer from Mykolaiv, Deputy Head of the Committee for the Protection of Lawyers’ Rights and Guarantees of Advocacy of the Council of Lawyers of Mykolaiv Region, Andriy Tolpekin. He emphasized that, in his view, this is not about privileges for members of the profession or a way to avoid military duty, but about guarantees for citizens who may need an independent defender at a critical moment.

“SUPPORT THE PETITION TO RESERVE LAWYERS — THIS IS A MATTER OF PROTECTING EVERY CITIZEN❗️🇺🇦
Today I appeal not only to lawyers. I appeal to every citizen of Ukraine.
While you do not need a lawyer, the issue of the independence of the bar may seem purely professional. But everything can change in an instant: detention, search, TCK and SP, criminal proceedings, an unlawful decision by a state body — and then the lawyer becomes the person who must stand between the citizen and the system and say: ‘There is the law. And your rights must be respected.’
As Deputy Head of the Committee for the Protection of Lawyers’ Rights and Guarantees of Advocacy of the Council of Lawyers of Mykolaiv Region, I am convinced: a lawyer should not be the most vulnerable link in the justice system.
The court works. The prosecutor’s office works. The investigation works. The state apparatus works.
And who will protect a person if the defender himself does not have proper guarantees of independence?
This is not about privileges for lawyers and not about avoiding the duty to defend the state. It is about creating a fair mechanism for reserving lawyers who actually practice professionally and daily protect citizens’ rights.
Therefore I ask you to support the petition not for the sake of lawyers.
For the sake of your own right to an independent defender. For the sake of your children. For the sake of your relatives.
Because today you sign this petition for someone else’s lawyer.
And tomorrow that same lawyer may defend you.
👉 https://petition.kmu.gov.ua/petitions/10625
A strong and independent bar is not a privilege of lawyers. It is a guarantee of every citizen’s rights.”

The petition itself does not provide for the automatic exemption of all lawyers from mobilization. Its demand is specifically the creation of a reservation mechanism, and only for lawyers with a valid certificate and an entry in the Unified Register of Lawyers of Ukraine. (ADVOKAT POST)