Here are some of the ways in which lawyers are offering their support to Ukrainian people
Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Over two million refugees have fled the country, according to the United Nations. Lawyers and businesses are offering their support in a number of ways.
A group of legal professionals with expertise in immigration law have set up a website to give free UK immigration advice for Ukrainians. This website was set up on 28 February.
Who started the Advice-Ukraine initiative?
Miranda Butler, a barrister at Landmark Chambers was one of the founding members. She told Crafty Counsel, in an email exchange, that over 300 lawyers have signed up to the project. Most of those who have signed up have been asked to take a case and some volunteers have taken several cases.
Miranda started the project along with John Vassiliou, Senior Associate at Sheppard and Wedderburn, Jennifer Blair barrister at No5 Chambers, Alex Piletska, an Associate at Turpin & Mill LLP and CJ McKinney, editor of Free Movement (a website that offers immmigration information and support). They started the group with the hope “it would be a useful platform for those in need of help and those wanting to offer their time”.
The group are friends and set up the Ukraine Advice Project. Simon Cox, barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, joined the group and Miranda says “the project has grown exponentially since then”. She says they “have been blown away by the enthusiasm from the legal profession”.
How many who have been affected by the invasion have been helped?
Miranda states that volunteer lawyers have already connected with over 300 people affected by the invasion. They’re offering free advice and “working as quickly as possible” to meet the demand of many more requests.
How can you help?
If you are an immigration lawyer in the UK:
If you are a solicitor, barrister or OISC/IAAS accredited lawyer with immigration and asylum expertise you can sign up at https://advice-ukraine.co.uk/. The Bar Standards Board and the Faculty of Advocates have waived the Public Access accreditation requirement for this work. Therefore, barristers can volunteer without the usual accreditation, Miranda says.
If you are a lawyer, but with no immigration experience:
Miranda says it has been”cheering to see non-immigration lawyers wanting to offer their expertise.” She recommends that they find a local refugee organisation and volunteer their services to them. Can you donate funds?
If you are not a lawyer, but want to donate?
The group operates as a voluntary organization, run by the goodwill of its volunteers. It does not accept donations. Miranda recommends that if people want to make donations to organisations, helping Ukrainians they can donate to the following organisations.
- https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/help-ukraine/ (this is one of the firms the group has worked with)
- https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/weareukraine (this is one of the people the group has assisted)
- https://donate.chooselove.org/campaigns/ukraine-appeal/
- https://www.workrightscentre.org/ (Work Rights Centre)
Another aid group of international lawyers and law firms
Another group of international lawyers, law firms and other legal providers, have started an initiative to provide pro bono legal services for Ukrianians, The Ukrainian Crisis Legal Aid Database.
Oliver Koppany, Foreign Legal Counsel at KNP LAW in Hungary, is one of the people who started the initiative. He credits the BigLawBoiz group with “creating a buzz around it” via their Instagram page. HyperDraft AI is legal tech company that specialises in contracting tools for lawyers. Their team joined the initiative to provide the necessary technological infrastructure.
Oliver spoke to Crafty Counsel via email. He says the project is supported by a number of law firms including Willkie Farr & Gallagher, and Katten Muchin Rosenman. The group is partnering with tech company Amiqus, who will assist them with “running sanctions, anti-money laundering (AML) and terror watchlist checks to provide a layer of security for all those involved.”
The project has had 2000 sign ups from individual lawyers. Oliver says if that is added to the lawyers supporting through the law firms, the number increases to around 4000 lawyers volunteering their time and services.
How are they matching those who need help with qualified lawyers?
The groups started by manually matching lawyers with those affected by the invasion. Quickly they realised “that it won’t be possible due to the scale of the project.”
Oliver describes the group as “an amazing legal tech AI group from LA, a meme Instagrammer, and a guy in Hungary”. He explains that they lack the infrastructure to match cases with qualified lawyers. As a result, a team in Los Angeles is developing a system that allows lawyers to select cases based on their expertise and collaborate with local NGOs and legal aid organizations with subject matter expertise.
How can other lawyers get involved?
Oliver says they can sign up at www.ukrainelegalaid.org.
What sort of legal support is offered?
Oliver says that the platform has a number of lawyers from around the world. Their expertise range from “immigration, to trusts and estates, and everything in between”.
He says that although “a lot of people right now need advice and help with immigration” they will soon need help with for example “setting up a small business in Poland or Germany”.
Oliver hopes this platform will connect them to the right people.
How many countries, and which countries, are represented by the legal volunteers?
Oliver says legal professionals from across the world from Alaska to Australia, India to Brazil have signed up. “It truly consists of people from every part of the world,” Oliver says.
Once the infrastructure is in place, the number of Ukrainians who can be helped will depend on attorney participation. But based on what we have seen, participation and interest is extremely high,” Oliver says.
Message from a General Counsel in Ukraine
Irina Kravtsova, General Counsel of the Ukrainian subsidiary of a European business, founder of the General Counsel Club in Ukraine, and a current PhD student shared a message from Ukraine with Crafty Counsel. She says “war changes everything. What yesterday was priceless, today became meaningless, and vice versa.”
[Related content: General Counsel in Ukraine shares her story]
Irina says war is when “all of your life should be put in one bag.” You have to prioriotise the items that keep you “warm and comfortable” and with which you can run.
She says that people forget what humanity means and it leads to war. Humanity lays the ground for “prosperity”, “wellness” and “life”.
Her message to the legal society is that the war “shows that many multinational companies have their high ethics norms only on paper.”
She explains that companies use these “high claims” to promote their businesses, attract new customers, and increase profits.
However, she argues that companies should rethink their “ethics codes.” These codes should align with values that truly support humanity, not just those that drive profit.
Kiev vs Kyiv
It is useful to beware of the preferred spelling of Kyiv, the Ukrainian way, as opposed to Kiev, which is derived from the Russian spelling. This Guardian article explores this topic.
Please get in touch
If you’re aware of other initiatives, or if you’re an in-house lawyer who has supported your business’s efforts and would like to share your story, please contact our Head of Content, Renée Graham, at renee@crafty-counsel.com.