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TYPES OF LEGAL PROFESSIONS IN BELARUS

State Structure of the Republic of Belarus

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, there are three branches of power: the legislative power creating laws, the executive power accomplishing these laws and the judicial power which sees that these laws be observed.

The Parliament – the highest legislative body – is represented by the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus. It consists of two chambers: the Chamber of Representatives and the Council of the Republic. In the National Assembly there are full-time Commissions.

The Government or the supreme executive power is the Council of Ministers. It consists of the Prime Minister, his deputies and ministers. The Prime Minister governs the activities of the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers is responsible for the effective development of economic, social and political situation in Belarus in accordance with the laws adopted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus.

The judicial power is represented by the Supreme Court, the High Economic Court and the Constitutional Court.

There are local bodies of power on the level of administrative and territorial units – the local deputies' Soviets, executive and directive bodies. The Soviets of local deputies elect the executive committees and they solve local problems in the framework of their power but taking into consideration the state interests and the interests of people living on the territory. They fulfill the directives of the higher level state bodies.

According to the Constitution the highest executive power belongs to the President of the Republic of Belarus who is the head of the state. The President is responsible for the organization of the executive powers in the fields of the economy, foreign policy, defense, national security and other spheres.

TYPES OF LEGAL PROFESSIONS IN BELARUS

There are many types of legal professions in the Republic of Belarus. Lawyers may hold offices both in the judicial system and outside it, that is in other fields of public life. They may work as judges in courts of law, advocates, or counsels for the defence, public prosecutors, investigators, notaries, chamber counsels and legal advisers. To become a lawyer and to occupy one of the above numbered positions in the Republic of Belarus one must get special legal university training.

A judge is a public official with authority to hear and decide cases in a law court. All judges in the RB are appointed by President on the recommendation of the Ministry of Justice and the Chairman of the Supreme Court. A judge’s term of office in inferior courts is five years. All other judges are appointed for life.

A public prosecutor is a legal official who officially says that someone is guilty of a crime and must be judged by court of law.

An advocate is a lawyer who speaks in court of law and supports the defence. He is an expert in the interpretation of the law and on advocacy.

A procurator decides whether someone should be sent to court for trial. He is a legal officer with authority to act in all cases in which the State is a party. In some cases he may act as a public prosecutor.

An investigator is an official who investigates into a crime, examines all evidence and makes a careful study of the crime.

A notary is a lawyer who has the legal power to make a signed statement or document, or its copy official.

Chamber counsels and legal advisers are lawyers who do legal work, carry out legal arguments outside court and may represent their firms, enterprises or institutions in all kinds of disputes between legal entities and individuals in courts.