Conference on daily professional practice held in Aghveran with the Chamber of Notaries of the Republic of Armenia

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Published: July 19, 2018
Participants in the conference in Aghveran
Participants in the conference in Aghveran
Armenia

On 14 and 15 July 2018, a conference was held for notaries in partnership with the Chamber of Notaries of the Republic of Armenia on issues concerning their daily professional practice. This event was carried out together with the German Federal Chamber of Notaries. Its vice-president and honorary president of the Chamber of Notaries of Koblenz, Richard Bock, took part as a speaker.

From the Armenian side, board members of the Chamber of Notaries of the Republic of Armenia, notaries from all over Armenia and representatives of the Ministry of Justice took part in the event. The Armenian Chamber of Notaries was represented by its president, Vanine Hovsepyan,and the Minister of Justice was represented by the First Deputy Minister of Justice, Artur Hovhannisyan.

The recently updated notarial law of the Republic of Armenia stipulates that Armenia’s notary practices must be digitalised. This means that the subject of digitalisation is highly contentious for this professional group and was the main focus of the event. Richard Bock explained in detail the process of digitalisation in Germany, including electronic authentication, electronic contracts, electronic signatures and other electronic aids.

The following topics were also discussed:

  • sales contract (processing a sales contract),
  • obligation to provide information,
  • notarial authentication procedure,
  • property sales contract,
  • developer contract,
  • donation agreement,
  • register entry and
  • acceptance or waiver of inheritance.

The participants in this event were extremely interested and motivated.

With regard to the recently changed version of the current notarial law, it became clear that the chamber of notaries was barely involved or not involved at all in the legislation. This fact has a significant impact on the application of the law. It is therefore becoming increasingly important to strengthen the chamber of notaries, particularly as far as its communications with the Ministry of Justice are concerned, so that this profession can continue to exist in Armenia.

Criminal law colloquium for judges in Armenia

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Published: April 27, 2018
Participants in the criminal law colloquium in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia
Participants in the criminal law colloquium in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia

A colloquium on enforcement measures in criminal proceedings, which had long been planned by the IRZ together with the criminal division of the Court of Cassation of the Republic of Armenia, finally took place under unexpected conditions on 26 and 27 April 2018. The colloquium was held at the same time as major demonstrations were taking place in Yerivan and other parts of Armenia, during which sections of the population expressed their frustration with the Armenian government and their desire for political change.

The events, which were also reported in the German media, were therefore not just a topic of conversation at the professional event. They also required a certain flexibility in terms of logistics. This is because, although the event was held in the peaceful surroundings of the mountain resort of Tsaghkadzor, road blocks meant that the participants, who had come from various parts of the country, were not able to reach the venue on time. And so the colloquium started a little later than planned, although all the scheduled subject matter was still covered.

From the German side, a former judge at the German Federal Court of Justice, Holger Rothfuß, presented the German rules governing pre-trial custody, banning people from exercising their professions and bail payments. Prof. Dr. Jan Bergmann, Presiding Judge at the Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg and Honorary Professor at the Institute of Economics and Law at Stuttgart University, expanded on the German perspective concerning the representation of provisions of European law and introduced in particular the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights.

A lot of time was taken up with questions from the participating criminal court judges, who came to the event from courts of first instance, the court of appeal and the court of cassation. There were lively discussions about the lectures and about the planned changes to the laws on pre-trial custody in Armenia, the possibilities for appeal and about more practical concerns, such as the management of on-call rosters at court. The discussions were enriching for all parties concerned.

The ongoing political developments in Armenia are being closely monitored by the IRZ and are likely to continue to have an effect in the near future on the activities of the IRZ in this country.

Seminar with the Lawyers’ Association of the Republic of Armenia on the rules governing the legal profession in Yerivan

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Published: January 3, 2018

Ara Zohrabyan, President of the Lawyers’ Association of the Republic of Armenia; Jan Helge Kestel, President of the Bar Association of Thuringia; Simon Babayan, Director of the School of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia(from left to right)
Ara Zohrabyan, President of the Lawyers’ Association of the Republic of Armenia; Jan Helge Kestel, President of the Bar Association of Thuringia; Simon Babayan, Director of the School of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia(from left to right)
A seminar for Armenian lawyers on the rules governing the legal profession took place in Yerivan on 12 and 13 December 2017, organised in partnership with the Armenian Lawyers’ Association.

The event was also attended by members of the Lawyers’ Association and the School of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia.

The seminar, which was also attended by the Director of the School of Advocates, was opened by the President of the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, Ara Zohrabyan.

On the German side, the President of the Bar Association of Thuringia, Lawyer Jan Helge Kestel from the law firm Caemmerer Lenz, Erfurt, took part in this event on behalf of the IRZ.

Following an introduction into the rules governing the legal profession in Germany, Jan Helge Kestel covered general aspects of the rules governing the legal profession in Germany and the relationship between lawyers and their clients.

Especially the information provided about the professional liability insurance for lawyers and the use of information and communication technologies, including the management system for law firms, met with great interest by the seminar participants.

The discussions also covered disciplinary measures courts can take against lawyers since such measures are frequently taken in Armenia and are an important issue for lawyers.

The seminar participants showed great interest and were highly motivated.

The event was organised with the support of the German Federal Bar Association BRAK.