On 14–16 May 2026, Mariia Plotnikova, Associate Professor at the Department and co-implementer of the project ‘Access to Justice: EU Best Practices for Ukraine’, and Anna Slavko, Associate Professor at the Department, took part in the May school for legal clinics entitled ‘Legal Assistance for Defenders and IDPs: Specialised Training for Legal Clinics’, organised by the Association of Legal Clinics of Ukraine.
For the second time, the event brought together participants representing legal clinics from various universities across Ukraine at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv.
During the May training session, participants learnt about the specific nature of the work carried out by specialist legal clinics that provide legal assistance to military personnel, veterans, internally displaced persons and their families. The event included an exchange of experiences regarding the various types of cases handled by such legal clinics, discussions on the specifics of organising their work, as well as the main challenges and problems arising in the process of providing legal aid under martial law. Participants also deepened their knowledge regarding the provision of legal aid to military personnel, veterans and the families of fallen defenders, familiarised themselves with the specifics of communicating with those affected by the war, and discussed the ethical and psychological aspects of interacting with such clients. Particular attention was paid to the establishment of facts of legal significance under martial law, as well as to mechanisms for obtaining compensation for destroyed or damaged housing, in particular the work of the International Register of Damages.
Considerable attention was paid to the work of the Specialised Legal Clinic on War-Related Issues at the Institute of Law of Sumy State University.
