On the occasion of Lawyers’ Day, an international conference was held in Tbilisi under the theme: “Lawyers, Effective Protection of Rights and Pro Bono Services in the Era of Artificial Intelligence.”

The conference brought together more than 200 participants, including high-level delegates from various countries, international and local experts, lawyers, representatives of the diplomatic corps, the legal sector and government institutions, as well as heads of bar associations.

The event was opened by Irakli Kandashvili, Chairman of the Georgian Bar Association. Welcoming remarks were delivered by Paata Salia, Minister of Justice of Georgia; Archil Gorduladze, Chairperson of the Legal Issues Committee of the Parliament of Georgia; Otar Chakhunashvili, Director of the Legal Aid Service of Georgia; Daniele Cangemi, Head of the Human Rights and Justice Standards Department of the Council of Europe; Vladimir Shkolnikov, Senior Human Rights Advisor at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the South Caucasus; Alex Tallon, First Vice-President of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE); David Asatiani, President of the European Association of Lawyers (AEA-EAL); Rajko Maric, President of the European Bars Federation; and Audrius Bitinas, Head of the Expertise France Office in Georgia.

Welcoming remarks were also delivered by the heads of bar associations from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Israel, Ukraine, and Türkiye.

The conference addressed the significance of the Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer, adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe, in safeguarding the independence of