Realising the Categories of Justice and the Role of a Lawyer: Participants’ feedback of the “Justice, Law, and Society” Seminar
175 professionals in law, public administration, human rights advocacy, professional journalism, and legal science, who have an active civic position and are leaders in their respective fields, have already participated in nine seminars within the “Justice, Law, and Society” seminar.
Details and registration for the seminar are available until May 19.
The Aspen Institute Kyiv aims to build a society in Ukraine based on justice and the rule of law, which are crucial for the functioning of a democratic and legal system.
Speaking about the seminar, participants noted the effectiveness of the Aspen dialogue in understanding the philosophical aspects of state-legal reality through engagement with the works of the Western philosophical tradition.
According to Kateryna Shyroka, a Judge at the High Anti-Corruption Court, the seminar prompted her to reflect on the future of jurisprudence and realize her role in it.
“This was my first experience with this format of communication. The Aspen seminar was a catalyst for a new life for me. Besides the interesting texts for contemplation, it gave me like-minded people, friends, and a lot of positive emotions. This seminar inspired changes in my professional life and showed justice from different perspectives. It initiated a mechanism for analyzing and reflecting on the legal profession’s future in Ukraine. And that future depends on each of us.”
Anton Korynevych, Ambassador-at-large in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, emphasized the importance of analyzing and understanding the categories of justice, legality, legitimacy, and the rule of law for legal professionals.
“This seminar is one of the best events I’ve attended recently. Every lawyer, especially those in public service, must analyze and understand the categories of justice, legality, legitimacy, and the rule of law. The seminar encourages more thinking about key legal categories and understanding fundamental legal concepts. It was particularly interesting to analyze how the categories and institutions of international law influence key legal categories and concepts. This seminar stimulates thinking about the most important thing — why we aspired to become lawyers.”
Serhii Marteyev, a Supreme Court judge, highlighted the importance of holding discussions in a dialogue format, where everyone can speak freely.
“Aspen seminars are a place where you can recall and revive basic human values. Aspen embodies a new form of social relations, teaching that communication in society is possible based on dialogue, mutual respect, consideration of other viewpoints, and the preservation of the universe’s diversity in all its shades.”
Listening and hearing are as important as expressing one’s thoughts. This was another point made by Valeria Kolomiets, Deputy Minister of Justice for European Integration, who participated in the seminar.
“Due to my professional skills, I am good at convincing and defending my position. Thanks to the seminar, I remembered that one can also listen, hear, and understand another person. Such events and people help direct oneself towards daily important decisions that truly change the world.”
Dmytro Gadomsky, partner at Axon Partners and editor of the Dead Lawyers Society, said the seminar helped him find inspiration for further actions and expand his horizons.
“I applied to Aspen in a hopeless yet poetic state: I felt like I was driving fast in a specific direction for a long time and then got stuck in a traffic jam somewhere unclear. And then Aspen. After all those texts and discussions, all those different people in the program, I realized that I wasn’t stuck in a traffic jam; I was part of the jam. And after Aspen, I learned to philosophize smartly.”
Participation in the seminar is free and based on a competitive selection. The “Justice, Law, and Society” seminar is conducted with the financial support of the OSCE.
