How do paralegals in Mykolaiv region work during the war?

Головна сторінка News How do paralegals in Mykolaiv region work during the war?

How can a child with a disability be evacuated abroad during the war and receive assistance on the spot? During the war, Artem Kryvtsov, a paralegal and volunteer of the FLA system, worked with such requests along with the need for humanitarian aid and advice on compensation for destroyed housing.

A law degree is not required to become a paralegal, but Artem has a full law degree

Currently, Artem Kryvtsov is the head of the Youth Center for Scientific Activity in Mykolaiv, and he also manages a number of legal education projects, including the Mykolaiv School of Paralegals and the School of Volunteer Legal Aid. Artem Kryvtsov told the Foundation what kind of requests his fellow paralegals receive from citizens during the war.

Citizens’ requests to paralegals: before and after the war

Artem says that BEFORE the war, he and his colleagues helped citizens with social security issues, and additionally advised on administrative legal issues, labor and civil law.

During the war, he created an entire volunteer group to visit citizens to provide humanitarian aid and address their legal needs.

– A separate area of work at the beginning of the war was helping Ukrainian women with children with disabilities travel abroad. We helped them to settle in remotely, looking for hospitals locally. I remember a situation where a one-year-old child with a heart defect needed help. We helped a mother and her baby to get to Moldova and find a hospital there. She recently called to tell me that after the surgery, the child is doing well,” says Artem.

Artem says that today his paralegals receive the most requests for assistance in such matters:

  • Assistance to socially vulnerable groups of the population,
  • registration of IDP status,
  • compensation for destroyed housing.

Challenges of working in wartime

The main task of Artem’s team of paralegals is not only to advise citizens before referring them to a lawyer or attorney of the free legal aid system. They also work in the interests of the city as project managers.

In fact, the paralegals with whom Artem cooperates are universal specialists, a bridge between the FLA, citizens, executive authorities, and the public sector.

– Our paralegals include law students, lawyers, journalists, and psychologists. During the war, the most difficult part of a paralegal’s job is to break through the distrust of ordinary citizens. Now more than ever, they are afraid that their rights will be violated or their personal data will be disclosed. But our paralegals manage to find a common language with them and help them,” says Artem.

To facilitate the work of those who help others, Ukrainian NGOs and government agencies have jointly created the Paralegals app.

Download the Paralegals app, get guaranteed free legal aid, and help others!