Appreciating the importance of legal professionals in courts, on Saturday, October 12, representatives of the Supreme Court participated in the first session of the Young Lawyers University organised by the University of Latvia in order to introduce school students to the Supreme Court, its work and place in the court system, as well as to introduce various posts of lawyers in courts. The meeting within the Young Lawyers University took place at the University of Latvia House of Nature, bringing together almost 200 students from all over Latvia. These were high school and gymnasium seniors who had decided to uphold their potential choice of studying law in the future and had therefore applied to participate in the Young Lawyers University.

At the outset, representatives of the Supreme Court – Jānis Pleps, Senator of the Department of Administrative Cases, Jānis Geks, Legal research counsel, and Kārlis Plusniņš, Assistant to senator, introduced the participants to the three-tier court system and the Supreme Court's place in it, types of cases and possibilities of appeal. The students were most interested in criminal cases and their adjudication, the different types of sentencing, including whether the death penalty exists in Latvia. The representatives of the Supreme Court also spoke about the variety of court cases heard before the Senate.

In the second part of the meeting, the participants learnt about the profession of judge and other legal positions in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court also employs legal research counsels, who deal with complex legal issues, and assistants to senators, who research legal issues, draft court rulings and ensure the circulation of documents in the court. When interviewing his colleagues, Senator Jānis Pleps revealed their career paths, which had been different for each of them. Kārlis began his work at the Supreme Court relatively recently and is currently a Master's student. Whereas, Jānis Geks, having finished his studies, worked for several years in both non-governmental and private sectors, as well as in public administration, but then decided to challenge himself – to look at his experience from the other side and applied for a job at the Supreme Court. A conversation with the students revealed why studying law and then working in a court could be attractive and what one should pay attention to if he/she wishes to work in a court.

The first day of the Young Lawyers University was rich with lectures and the opportunity to listen to experts in their field. Professor Kristīne Strada-Rozenberga from the University of Latvia told the participants about the Faculty of Law and the profession of lawyer. Gunārs Kūtris, Member of the Saeima and lecturer at the University of Latvia, introduced the participants to law enforcement institutions in Latvia. This was followed by a presentation by representatives of the Supreme Court on the judicial system, the professions of judge and court employees. In the second half of the day, the students will meet with the Prosecutor General and University of Latvia lecturer Juris Juriss, who will talk about the work of the prosecutor's office and the profession of prosecutor. And sworn advocate and University of Latvia lecturer Lauris Liepa will inform about the profession of advocate and the bar.

The University of Latvia organises the Young Lawyers University every year, giving 12th grade students the opportunity to learn about the versatility of the legal profession, to gain an understanding of the field of law and its sub-disciplines. The classes are held once a month on Saturdays from October to February. At the end of the series of classes, participants shall take a test which includes questions on the topics covered in the classes. The obtainers of three highest results are guaranteed a state-budget-funded study place in one of the Bachelor's degree programmes at the Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia.

 

Baiba Kataja, Communication Specialist of the Supreme Court

+371 67020365; e-mail: baiba.kataja@at.gov.lv