The All-Ukrainian Conference "Higher Legal Education in the 21st Century: Challenges and Prospects for Further Development" was held. More than one hundred scholars- representatives of 18 higher education institutions of Ukraine took part in it. Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs was represented by Oleksandr Bandurka, Academician of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Law, Professor, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine, Leonid Mohilevskyi, Vice-Rector of the University, Doctor of Law, Professor, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine, Kostiantyn Buhaichuk, Head of Research Laboratory on Crime Enforcement, Doctor of Law, Associate Professor, and other scholars.

The leading higher educational institutions, faculties of Ukrainian universities of the legal specialization, state institutions, associations, such as Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, the Faculty of International Relations of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, the Faculty of Law of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, the Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, the Institute of Law of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, the Faculty of Law of the State Higher Educational Institution “Uzhhorod National University”, the Faculty of Law of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, National Academy of Internal Affairs, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs, National Academy of the Security Service of Ukraine, University of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine named after Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, Academy of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine, National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine, the Academic and Research Institute of Law of Sumy State University, the Ukrainian Association of International Law, the Legislation Institute of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA Ukraine) were the organizers of the scientific event.

Volodymyr Sushchenko, PhD in Law, Associate Professor, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine, Head of the Board of NGO “Expert Center for Human Rights”, Razumkov Center Scientific Consultant, stressed on the main relevant issues and priorities of modern legal science in his introductory speech.

The conference was held in three sections. The first section “The structural changes in higher legal education: formal or substantive transformations” were devoted to the following issues: the system of legal education in the general processes of higher education development; the possibility of adopting a separate law on higher legal education; higher education institutions with specific learning conditions; degrees and forms of legal education; the list of specialties for obtaining the higher legal education; the systems of legal education in the European Union countries; professional qualifications for access to the legal profession in foreign countries.

The issues of the implementation prospects of the unified state qualification examination for education and academic freedom of law schools, facilitating access to the research results’ publication; publishing activity as a criterion for the effectiveness of academic and pedagogical staff; development of the system to ensure academic integrity; ways of forming a high academic culture of students; problems of academic responsibility of students, academic and pedagogical staff; academic plagiarism and self-plagiarism were raised in the second section “Ensuring academic freedom and integrity as basic principles of organization of the educational process in law schools”

 Such issues, as the practical component in the training system of the higher education applicants; modern information technologies’ implementation into the educational process; usage of innovative teaching methods in training lawyers; interdisciplinary training programs; postgraduate education (retraining and advanced training); the issue of advanced study of foreign languages; legal education and modern scientific and educational space creation were discussed in the third section of the conference, entitled “Ways of improving the higher legal education quality in Ukraine: the current state and real practical steps”

According to the participants’ beliefs. the exchange of views and work results will be one of the effective steps towards the modernization of higher legal education in Ukraine.

Department of Public Relations of KhNUIA