Presentation
The Union of Advocates of the Republic of Moldova is the organization established by law to ensure the self-administration of advocates in the country.
On January 1st, 2024, there were 1970 active advocates and 302 trainee advocates in the Republic of Moldova. Additionally, 1053 advocates had their activity suspended.
The Union of Advocates:
- represents and promotes the interests of advocates
- organizes the process of training future advocates and their admission to the bar
- ensures the professional development of advocates
- examines disciplinary complaints and applies sanctions to advocates
The governing bodies of the Union of Advocates are:
- The Congress, which convenes annually and is open to all active advocates
- The Council of the Union, which meets monthly and makes the most important decisions regarding the administration of the Union
- The President of the Union, who presides over the Council’s sittings and represents the Union
- The Secretary General of the Union, who ensures the administration of the Union and leads its secretariat
Within the Union of Advocates, the following autonomous bodies are also functioning:
- The Licensing Commission, which organizes the exam for entering the traineeship and the final Bar exam
- The Ethics and Discipline Commission, which examines complaints filed against advocates and trainee advocates
- The Advocates’ Training Center, which provides initial training for trainee advocates and continuous training for advocates
- The Commission of Appeals, which reviews appeals filed by Bar exam participants
- The Audit Commission, which oversees how the resources of the Union are spent
Based on their residence, all advocates are assigned to territorial bar associations corresponding to the jurisdictions of the courts of appeal. There are four territorial bar associations:
The Union of Advocates of the Republic of Moldova is an associate member of the The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe.