Current Issues of Qualified Legal Assistance in the Post-Soviet Space

Abstract
Modern processes of regulation of the legal market in Russia and other post-Soviet countries take place in the context of the right to qualified legal assistance. The authors used a set of such comparative legal methods as synchronous and intra-system comparison, as well as problem-chronological and formal legal methods. The paper focuses on the definition of qualified legal assistance and its criteria. The research involved a group of entities that provide qualified legal assistance: public authorities, civil society institutions, i.e. bar, notary, legal clinics, public associations, etc., commercial organizations, and individual lawyers. The comparative legal analysis featured qualified legal assistance in the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union. A key aspect of the right to qualified legal assistance is the state system of legal aid. The article describes Russian and Belarusian models. The authors believe that there is no appropriate definition of qualified legal aid and that the bar holds the dominant position in the professional lawyers' community. Some countries of the Eurasian Economic Union preserved Soviet experience of bar associations. These countries demonstrate some specific traits of advocacy activities. For instance, institutions of legal consultants function as an alternative to the bar. The Republic of Armenia declared legal practice a business activity. The Republic of Belarus legally regulates specialized bar associations, e.g. legal counseling and law firms that specialize in a particular branch of law. As for free legal assistance, Russian model proved to be more advanced than that of Belarus, as Russia has no statutory mechanisms for obliging legal firms to provide free legal assistance at their own expense. In addition, Russia has a wider range of population categories entitled to receive free legal aid. Another advantage of the Russian free legal aid system is a detailed regulation of the status of legal clinics.