Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners (EPAP) Partner Oleksii Reznikov has been appointed a Member of the High Council of Justice of Ukraine and has been sworn in. Reznikov's appointment followed the Congress of Advocates of Ukraine held on 27 April, 2014.
According to EPAP, "the High Council of Justice is a collective independent body responsible for the formation of highly professional corps of judges capable of qualified, honest and unbiased conduct of justice on a professional basis, as well as for decision making relating to judges’ and public prosecutors’ infringement of incompatibility requirements and, within its terms of reference, of their disciplinary accountability."
The High Council of Justice includes 20 members, out of which 17 members are appointed by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the President of Ukraine, the Congress of Judges of Ukraine, the Congress of Advocates of Ukraine, the Congress of Representatives of Higher Legal Educational Establishments and Scientific Institutions, and the All-Ukrainian Conference of Employees of the Public Prosecutors Office. The Chairman of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, the Minister of Justice of Ukraine, and the Prosecutor General of Ukraine are ex officio members of the High Council of Justice. All members, except for those appointed ex officio, are elected for six years.
Reznikov heads EPAP's Litigation Practice in Ukraine. According to the firm, "Reznikov has extensive experience in Ukrainian litigation, commercial, civil and electoral law, as well as in the field of privatization and securities, and protection from hostile takeovers (including corporate raids). He specializes in the resolution of disputes with tax, customs and other state authorities. His experience includes protection of clients in the Supreme Court of Ukraine, Supreme Economic Court, Higher Specialized Court, and Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine." He is also the Vice-President (as reported on April 11, 2014, he was temporarily made Acting President) of the Ukrainian Bar Association.
