On 19 June the Georgian Bar Association (GBA) completed a series of meetings with lawyers on professional ethics organised with the Support of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia. During the meetings organised in different regions of Georgia presenters from the GBA Ethics Commission and practicing lawyers discussed recommendations of the GBA Ethics Commission, the Code of Ethics, importance of the confidential counseling mechanism and other ethics related matters raised by participants. With the support of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia the GBA organised 7 meetings during May and June 2022 in Rustavi, Borjomi, Kutaisi, Batumi, Zugdidi and Tbilisi and managed to directly engage 226 lawyers.

This initiative aimed to build on achievements of the project “Support to the Profession of Lawyer in Georgia” completed by the Council of Europe Office in Georgia in 2021. The project developed a guide for lawyers on professional ethics based on Ethics Commission’s recommendations, developed the electronic case management software for the Commission and provided recommendations on improving the operation of its Confidential Counseling Mechanism.

Meetings were organised within the framework of the project “Enhanced Access to Legal Aid Services for Marginalised Population” implemented with the support of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, France, Netherlands, Liechtenstein, and Latvia.