«Marriage for Love» or Deprivation of Profession: How the President of the Federal Chamber of Advocates Responded to Criticism of the Bill on the «Lawyer’s Monopoly» and Promoted a «Forced Marriage» Between Lawyers and Bar Associations, Organized Under the Auspices of the Ministry of Justice

The article provides a critical analysis of the speech delivered by Svetlana Volodina, President of the Federal Chamber of Advocates of the Russian Federation (hereinafter – FCA), regarding the proposed bill on the «lawyers’ monopoly» for court representation. The author characterizes the FCA leadership’s stance as «administrative servility» and a de facto abandonment of the principles of the legal profession’s independence in favor of subordination to the Ministry of Justice. The paper systematically refutes claims of a «substantive dialogue» with the legal community, arguing instead that the incorporation of private practitioners into the bar is coercive in nature. Particular attention is paid to the counter-reform’s inconsistency with international standards (specifically the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers) and the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The author concludes that the bill represents a counter-reform leading to market monopolization, restriction of citizens’ rights to defense, and increased state control over the legal profession.