Constitutional and legal status of advocacy in the USSR and union republics and its reflection in legislation

Purpose: Study of the constitutional and legal consolidation of the status of the advocacy in the USSR and union republics and its reflection in the legislation. Methodology: The methods of structural and functional analysis, the system method, the formal legal method, the retrospective method, the method of studying documents. Results: The consolidation of the provisions on the institution of advocacy in the Constitution of the USSR testifies more to the formal and legal demonstration of the social significance of advocacy and the high status of advocacy than to its real significance and status. The legislation of the USSR and union republics defined: the functional purpose of the advocacy profession (providing legal assistance to citizens and organizations); the basics of the organizational structure of the advocacy (college of advocates); by reference to the norms of the law, the advocactes provided for free legal assistance and the fact that the organization and the procedure for the activities of the bar are the objects of joint jurisdiction of the USSR and the Union republics...