On September 14, a meeting was held at the National University “Odessa Law Academy” between the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and Supreme Court justices and the faculty and students of the National University “Odessa Law Academy.” Iryna Hlovyuk, an attorney and scientific advisor at Barristers Law Firm, who is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Supreme Court, was present at the meeting.

Valentina Ivanivna Danishevska, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, paid a visit to the National University “Odessa Law Academy” along with her colleagues—judges of the Supreme Court, most of whom had until recently taught at the Odessa Law Academy. This is the Chief Justice’s second regional visit.
For the first time since Ukraine’s independence, a woman has headed the country’s highest judicial body, but most importantly, she is a graduate of the Odessa School of Law.

“I am truly delighted to have the opportunity to visit this institution of higher education, where I recognize the faces of faculty members who taught back when I was a student myself. I am well aware of how the law school in Odesa is developing today, and I can see that what you offer your students today is truly of the highest caliber—just look at how many lawyers you are training here! I would like to emphasize that since taking office, Odesa is the second region I have visited after my hometown—Zaporizhzhia— which demonstrates the importance we attach to cooperation specifically with your university. I fully support your words, Serhiy Vasylovych, that we need cooperation, and I believe that we must use scholarship to move forward, and I believe that the scholars of the Odesa Law School deserve to have their research utilized in the work of the Supreme Court, helping to reach the optimal decision when considering a case.
— said Valentina Danishevska, Chair of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, in her greeting to those present.

“It is a great honor to welcome Valentina Ivanivna Danishevska—a graduate of the Odessa Law School—to our university. We are proud that our school is well represented in the Supreme Court. Many faculty members and alumni of the Odessa Law Academy have passed the most rigorous competitive examination and become Supreme Court justices. The university’s scholars serve on the Scientific Advisory Council of the Supreme Court.”
— said Serhiy Kivalov, President of the Odessa Law Academy and Member of the Ukrainian Parliament.

The meeting with the university’s administration and faculty members lasted several times longer than scheduled. Responding to various questions from the university’s faculty, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court emphasized that she is categorically opposed to granting the highest judicial body the power of legislative initiative.

"If we were to take on lawmaking—even partially, since that is my profession—I think we would then have to share responsibility with the Verkhovna Rada. We would then be accountable for the quality and content of the laws. We don’t need that,"

— Valentina Ivanivna emphasized.

“She is the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to openly state in her interviews—and to confirm today in the Academic Council’s meeting hall—that the Supreme Court should not be granted legislative initiative. That’s bold. Typically, all the court presidents before her said that legislative initiative was necessary so that they themselves could draft laws, which the Verkhovna Rada would then adopt. I fully agree with her and share her view that there must be a clear separation of powers, as provided for by the Constitution of Ukraine.”

— said Serhiy Kivalov.

Also on this day, alumni and faculty members of the university—who are now judges of the Supreme Court—visited their alma mater.

"My student life, my professional life, and the defense of my doctoral dissertation all connect me to the Law Academy, so I want to say that I have certainly become a bearer of the values and worldviews that were instilled in me during my student years right here within these walls,"
— noted Tetyana Antsupova, judge of the Cassation Administrative Court of the Supreme Court.

“It was a pleasure for me to meet with the faculty here, because I once taught at the university for nine years in the Department of Criminal Procedure, and today I saw many people with whom I used to work. It was clear that this meeting was of great interest to them.”

— said Oleksandr Zolotnikov, a judge of the Cassation Administrative Court of the Supreme Court.

“It’s very nice to be home in Odesa, and it’s especially nice to be back within the walls of my alma mater. I enrolled at the Odesa State Law Academy back in 1998. That was the first intake for the Academy, and I graduated in 2003. This is where my personal development took place. This is the university where I studied, where I worked for nearly 14 years, and if I look back, as recently as September and October, I was still working within these walls.”

— Said Yegor Krasnov, judge of the Commercial Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court.

It should also be noted that Bogdan Lvov, a graduate of the Yurademy Institute of Intellectual Property and Law, has been elected chair of the Commercial Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court; Mykhailo Smokovych, chair of the Administrative Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court; and and Vsevolod Knyazev was elected Secretary of the Grand Chamber. Incidentally, he recently visited his alma mater as part of the project “Thank You, Alma Mater: Fair Judiciary Rooted in Student Life.” Another alumnus, Ihor Benedesyuk, currently serves as chairman of the High Council of Justice.

In addition, the university is currently actively collaborating with the Supreme Court to provide scholarly support for its activities. This past spring, a new composition of the Supreme Court’s Scientific Advisory Council was formed—the most important body that serves as a scholarly foundation for judges in developing legal positions. A multi-stage competition was held to determine its membership. Hundreds of legal scholars from all over Ukraine participated in the competition. As a result of this competition, eight scholars from the National University “Odessa Law Academy” were immediately appointed to the newly formed Scientific Advisory Council of the Supreme Court. They successfully passed this highly competitive selection process and now represent the Odessa School of Law in Ukraine’s highest court as leading scholars. They include Iryna Vasylivna Hlovyuk, Ph.D. in Law,, and Professor of the Department of Constitutional Law at Odessa National Law Academy; Mariana Volodymyrivna Afanasyeva, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine, Doctor of Law, Professor of the Department of Civil Law and Head of the Department of Civil Procedural Law at Odessa National Law Academy; Honored Lawyer of Ukraine Nelly Yurievna Golubeva, Doctor of Law, Professor, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, and Head of the Department of Commercial Law and Procedure at the National University “Odesa Law Academy.” Oleg Petrovich Pidtserkovnyi, Doctor of Law, Professor, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine; Galina Ivanivna Chanysheva, Ph.D., Professor, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, Head of the Department of Civil Law at the National University “Odesa Law Academy,” Honored Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine Yevgen Olegovich Kharitonov, Ph.D., Professor, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, Head of the Department of Intellectual Property and Corporate Law at Odessa National University “Odessa Law Academy,” Honored Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine Olena Ivanivna Kharitonova.

“I have visited the National University ‘Odessa Law Academy’ before as part of academic events. No one would dispute that this is one of our country’s leading institutions of higher education, and we see this reflected in the work of the Supreme Court, since graduates of the Odessa Law Academy have been appointed as Supreme Court justices, and many scholars serve on the Scientific Advisory Council and assist us in resolving various issues.”

– noted Vitaliy Urkevych, Judge of the Commercial Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court.
At the conclusion of the meeting with the faculty, Valentina Danishevska took a tour of the Odessa Law Academy. She was particularly impressed by Ukraine’s largest academic library, as well as the unique museum of rare editions, where one can view exclusive books from various periods. She also toured the academic buildings and the multifunctional sports stadium.
“This is incredible. It truly is a temple of science. Next to the Academy, I saw a complex that allows students to improve their health and engage in sports. I can see that they care not only about the educational process here, but also about ensuring that students have everything they need to maintain their health and are provided with housing. I envy the students who are studying here now.

— Valentina Danishevska shared her impressions.

During her visit, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court emphasized that the Court needs young professionals and expressed her willingness to accept students from the Odesa Law Academy for internships and practical training. After all, it is this institution of higher education that provides a strong foundation for future professionals and has been producing highly qualified professionals—the nation’s legal elite—for 20 years. Today’s students have role models to look up to and are highly motivated to continue the glorious traditions of the Odesa School of Law.