Russian Legal Profession Terms

Russia separates advocates from other lawyers, and the words for them are easy to confuse. This glossary explains 20 terms of the Russian legal profession: advokatura, palata, order, status, stazh and others. The core rules are in Federal Law No. 63-FZ "On Advocacy and the Bar" and in the Code of Professional Ethics of Advocates.

Elena Petrova is an advocate entered in the Moscow register under number 77/13551. The terms below explain what that entry means for a client in California.

Advokat and Yurist

• Advokat — an advocate with official status, bound by ethics rules and professional secrecy.
• Yurist — any person with legal education. The title is not regulated.
• Advokatura — the bar as a professional community independent of the state.

Getting and Keeping the Status

• Status advokata — the status granted after the qualification exam and oath.
• Stazh — prior work experience in law. The law requires at least two years before the exam, or a traineeship.
• Stazhirovka — a traineeship with an advocate firm.
• Kvalifikatsionny ekzamen — the written and oral bar exam before the regional commission.
• Prisyaga — the advocate's oath, after which the status takes effect.

Bar Institutions

• Advokatskaya palata — the regional chamber of advocates. Every advocate belongs to one.
• FPA — the Federal Chamber of Advocates, the national body.
• Reestr advokatov — the regional register. The number before the slash is the region code; 77 stands for Moscow.
• Udostoverenie advokata — the advocate's ID card issued by the Ministry of Justice.

Forms of Practice

• Advokatsky kabinet — a sole practice.
• Kollegiya advokatov — a bar association of several advocates.
• Advokatskoe byuro — a partnership in which advocates share clients.

Working With a Client

• Soglashenie ob okazanii yuridicheskoy pomoshchi — the written engagement agreement. It must state the task, the fee and the terms of payment.
• Order — a warrant issued by the advocate's office. It confirms the advocate's right to act in a specific case, for example before an investigator.
• Advokatsky zapros — an advocate's request for documents, which state bodies and companies must answer.
• Advokatskaya tayna — professional secrecy covering everything the client shares.

Discipline and Loss of Status

• Distsiplinarnoe proizvodstvo — a disciplinary case in the chamber, often started by a client complaint.
• Priostanovlenie statusa — suspension, for example during public office.
• Prekrashchenie statusa — termination, the most serious sanction.

Checking an Advocate Before You Hire

Ask for the register number and the name of the chamber. Then check the entry in the public register on the Ministry of Justice or chamber website. Confirm the status is active and the engagement agreement is signed in writing.

Clients in California can verify Elena Petrova's number 77/13551 in the Moscow register before the first consultation.

The main channel of communication with the attorney is email: attorneypetrova1@gmail.com.