"The code of honor of this samurai says: "Show great condolences and help people! In all matters, think first of all about a person!" Honesty, endurance, patience, honor - these are the qualities that accompany a warrior - bushido!"

Agree, it's unlikely that a lawyer can count on professional success without possessing these qualities. To some extent, all lawyers are samurai, warriors for justice, who live and work for the sake of people.

The little boy who dreams about the still mythical career of a lawyer - the first brick bushido. A young student who goes to study in distant Italy - the second brick. A young lawyer who works for the public good pro bono. Lawyer for human rights. Only so - step by step, a brick on the bricks - is born samurai, who has an iron force of freedom, perseverance, sufficient share of adventurism, appreciates every moment of his life and independently builds his destiny.
Such is the way of the lawyer Oleg Veremeenko, who spoke about his unique history of Pravotoday.

Pravotoday: Oleg, you are on the sign of the zodiac - Virgo. The stars say about you as a person who loves his work to self-denial, relies solely on his own strength. It is so?
Oleg Veremeenko: I do not believe in horoscopes. I believe that many (not everything, of course) depends on us, on our actions, on the way of thinking, willpower, perseverance. And, of course, much depends on God.
Pravotoday: How did your professional development develop?
Oleg Veremeenko: This is an interesting story. In general, when I was very young, at the age of 4-5, my parents, who were then young and engaged in a career, sent me to my grandmother and grandmother in the city of Yenakiyev for the summer. My grandfather was the master of the shop at the EMZ metal works, and my grandmother - the editor-in-chief of the city newspaper "Yenakiyevsky Worker". Her best friend was a lawyer - Tatyana Prokopivna Shevchenko. A well-known lawyer in Ukraine, and a very good and decent woman is a real professional in his business. My grandmother was, as a rule, a short working day, and therefore 2-3 times a week I went with her to visit her girlfriend, a lawyer. We spent an hour at her in the city council of lawyers. Even then, I saw that a lawyer is a very important and respected profession, moreover, connected with communication with people. Therefore, questions about who I am, I have not been around for twelve years. How are my friends joking, this is about the question of professional experience (smiles).

Then, in 1997, immediately after graduating from school I enrolled in the law faculty of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, who graduated in 2004. He graduated from the Master's Program in International Law in Italy in 2002. He worked in the TACIS Program UEPLAC (Group on Economic Reform under the direction of Mr. Remy Dyuflo), worked in the UNHCR project in 2004 (draft on the rights of refugees and migrants), then worked in various companies as an in-house lawyer: in an insurance company, in construction companies, and others. Since October 2007, after passing my lawyer's examination, I work as an attorney, mainly in the human rights field. I work with the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, the Kharkiv Human Rights Advocacy Group.
Pravotoday: A significant place in your career was to work in social projects. You have been helping to low-income groups of the population, homeless children. Not every lawyer has the strength and desire to engage in such projects. What did inspire you?
Oleg Veremeenko: Work in social projects is very responsible and very interesting at the same time. I was fortunate enough to work for several years in the project of the Ukrainian-Austrian Charitable Fund "Aspern" under the leadership of Vera Ivanivna Koshil, Director of the Center for the Support of Homeless Children in the early 2000s. The essence of my work was to develop a legal scheme for working with street children for a non-religious non-governmental organization. The fact is that then there was a "draconian" law that did not allow charitable organizations to work with children (that is to keep them in their place for more than 90 days).
We had everything: a repair was carried out in the building where the Center was located, and everything was purchased with the latest technology. The investment in the project amounted to about 500,000 euros. But, according to the laws, the children could work only in the afternoon. And at night - they had to be almost driven out to the street. I remember how in the summer some children slept in the boxes from under the refrigerators and TVs directly on the street near the Center. The prosecutor's office of the Darnytsky district of Kyiv and the Juvenile Service resorted to almost weekly inspections, so that God forbid these children staying at the Center!
So, with Vera Ivanovna, we came up with a scheme for working with these children. Then the law "On the Prevention of Domestic Violence" was adopted, which allowed non-governmental organizations to provide assistance to children who survived domestic violence. And we took advantage of this rule of law: child psychologists were invited to work, who, using various methods, initially interviewed homeless children. If the fact of domestic violence was revealed, this was an act that was later transferred to the local authorities, and the child was temporarily settled in the Aspern Center, which served as a shelter for shelter. The Center's lawyers, physicians, and police were included in the work, and facts about domestic violence were checked. If they found their confirmation, and this violence was quite serious - the issue of the deprivation of careless parents of parental rights was solved. The Aspern Foundation has helped many children, but a couple of years ago the Kyiv City Hall chose this building, which was located on 26 Novodarnytska Street, near the foundation. And now the fund is engaged in other projects.
Pravotoday: You started practicing while you were a student. What memories are your first job related to?
Oleg Veremeenko: You know, it was a project of free legal aid "pro bono" under the Association of Law Students of the Faculty of Law of the Kyiv National University. Taras Shevchenko. This project, which began on the basis of two whales: the desire of students to change the world and funding by foreign charities (ABACEELI and the British Council, UNHCR). Initially, the 155-A auditorium of the red building of the University was renovated. If you tell me that there was a man's toilet there, you probably will not believe it (surely (smiles). But this was the case. I remember, then Sergey Spodin was the president of ours - a very good organizer who managed to gather the guys and start the project.
Interestingly, the project worked then not thanks, but rather contrary to the desire of the administration of the Faculty of Law. I was responsible for the issue of legal advice "pro bono": from the search for volunteer lawyers to the project and ending with the search for clients. I still remember how in the winter with twenty degrees frost we went with the guys and piled on the pill ads for free legal advice. So we brought in the first customers. Then never advertisements were given. Customers came to us. I do not know where they got to know about our project. By the way, from more than fifty law students, with whom I was lucky to work then, many became very cool professionals in my case: attorneys, judges, prosecutors. Someone works now as an "in-house" lawyer. With many, we still have friendly relations.
Pravotoday: As an international LLM diploma, do you think that such a document is vital for a successful lawyer career? What is its practical value?
Oleg Veremeenko: I'll tell you how I got to study in Italy. We then wanted to open the ELSA office in Kiev, and when I contacted the central office of this organization in Brussels, they signed us to their newsletters. One day I receive a letter from David-Donatti-Kattan, who was director of human rights programs. The letter was written "please, do not send this letter to anyone else", but the letter referred to the possibility to study in Italy for the program LL.M. on international criminal law.
Of course, I sent this letter to all my familiar lawyers, after which I also decided to try to apply to this program. I collected the documents and sent them to Italy by DHL. The letter, which was supposed to be delivered within a day, was ten days! The fact is that there was a terrible snowfall in Italy, and all the roads from Rome to Teramo, where the University was located, were covered with snow. I had to write a letter to Italy each morning asking me not to announce the results of the competition until the admissions committee receives my documents. What was my surprise when I was called from Italy one day and interviewed by phone (probably, I wanted to make sure that such a student really exists). The next day I received an e-mail message stating that the scholarship in Italy was mine, and in three weeks I had to come to study.
In general, I was thinking, going to me or not, since I was then studying at a budget in the magistracy of the law faculty of the University. Taras Shevchenko. And I needed to either take an academic vacation or go on my own. I consulted with our zmdekanom, and I was told: "Oleg! What is Italy? Are you ready to go by e-mail somewhere incomprehensible to where? "But I decided to take a chance. And now I'm very happy. I did not regret my decision later than ever.
When I came to Italy, I realized that I was very fortunate because we had a very strong program organized by Professor Flavia Lattantsi, a very famous lawyer, ideologue of the International Criminal Court, former Justice Minister of Italy. She was able to invite the teachers of these "stars" of jurisprudence as instructors: we had lecturers-prosecutors from the ICTY (the Yugoslav Tribunal in The Hague) - all except Carly Del Ponte (smiling), judges of international tribunals; New York lawyers who freed prisoners from Guantanamo Bay and others. My scientific supervisor was Mr Tomaso Solazzo - the prosecutor, the head of the Anti-Mafia unit. During my study on this program in Italy my legal horizons have considerably expanded. I realized that in order to become a great lawyer, you need a lot and work hard on it. This is an unforgettable and invaluable experience. I advise all jurists-beginners to be obliged to learn or settle for somewhere abroad.
Pravotoday: Why did you prefer Italian universities?
Oleg Veremeenko: Firstly, it was an interesting program, and secondly, it was Italy, which I dreamed of since childhood, and thirdly, I was given a scholarship that, you agree, is important.
Pravotoday: Share the secret, what more, besides training, is engaged the student, being a long time away from home?
Oleg Veremeenko: We had a very interesting group of 30 people: boys from fifteen countries of the world, from all continents, except Australia. We tried to dedicate all our free time to studying (there was a fantastic law library at the University), but at 19-00 we were simply thrown out of there. That is, in our free time, we played football, traveled to the sea, which was very near, on weekends for the opportunity went to Rome. Even went to courses for ambulance assistants.
Pravotoday: Have you been able to find in Ukraine practical application of the knowledge gained through the LLM program?

Oleg Veremeenko: You know, working as a lawyer (and for the time being, I have more than half of the cases - criminal), I can say that the knowledge acquired in Italy, it is difficult to overestimate. It really extends the horizons.
Pravotoday: Over the past few years, you have been successfully practicing private practice. Share the secret as to where private lawyers can effectively search for clients?
Oleg Veremeenko: BBC service is working ("the woman told the woman"). The client, who has been well served and well-served, will come back or advise you to other people.
Pravotoday: You are running a very interesting and popular magazine on LJ. Did your readers consult with you?
Oleg Veremeenko: Yes, LJ is a useful thing that helps to find like-minded people, and clients too (but that's not the main thing).
Pravotoday: Could you highlight the most demanded areas of legal practice today?
Oleg Veremeenko: I can say that we have a disaster with respect for human rights in general, especially in the criminal law sphere. Volunteering in the police just overlooks! You know, it feels that the country lacks professionals and just decent people: lawyers, prosecutors, judges, investigators. Attorneys - thousands, but about really good lawyers - you can count on your fingers one or two hands! So the "niche" in the jurisprudence is definitely still there.
Pravotoday: What would you say about your practice as a key to your professional development? Which is the most curious?
Oleg Veremeenko: Key cases are still ahead, I hope. But there is a lot of curious cases. So, recently won the case of redevelopment in one of the ZhEKov, who could not prove that they have in the state people with diplomas climbers-climbers. The fact is that our client, who lives on the 15th floor in a multistory building, was accused of illegal re-planning, and as a proof, lawyers of the ZhEK were given a fabricated act of the commission, which allegedly revealed a redevelopment at his home.
But they were not lucky. On the day that the act was dated, our client was 500 km from Kiev and bought a house in the village, about which we provided the relevant documents (he had an alibi, for example, and he could not admit a commission to his home that day.) Plus , we filed a petition to the court about whether the JMC can provide information on the availability of the diplomas of climber-climbers for each member of the commission, since otherwise they could not look into the apartment. business
Pravotoday: Do you have a life principle, credo?
Oleg Veremeenko: My credo (I've read in the code of honor of Japanese samurai - bushido): "Remember constantly about death!". I advise all young lawyers to read the bushido. Strong thing!
Pravotoday: Oleg, today invented a time machine! What would you change in the past, and what left in the former places?
Oleg Veremeenko: Unfortunately, there is no time machine. Probably, it is necessary to be softer with people. More love people. Evaluate every moment in your life. Over time, you begin to understand this.
Pravotoday: A special lawyer, different from the other, has a lifestyle. What words, in your opinion, best describe life in Legal Style?
Oleg Veremeenko: "Everything that does not kill us makes it stronger!"
Pravotoday: They say that a person in life must have time to build a house, plant a tree and grow a son. What should a lawyer do?
Oleg Veremeenko: We are told differently: to build a house, to plant an enemy, to grow an account in a bank (smiles). Well, if seriously, the main thing - to remain a human being! Be yourself. Never compromise with your conscience.