Dead Lawyers Society, with support from the EU Project “PRAVO-Justice,” is launching a dialogue project called The Mightiest Branch.

“We at DLS are increasingly concerned about the entrenched polarization that has accompanied judicial reform in recent years. The dividing line of ‘us vs. them’ can be seen almost everywhere: international experts vs. national experts, activists vs. judges, “chorty” vs. the saints, anonymous judicial media vs. traditional outlets. In short, endless oppositions of ‘good us’ vs. ‘bad them.’

Our hypothesis is that this kind of public discourse has created so much friction that it has seriously slowed down judicial reform. With this project, we want to break out of the ‘us vs. them’ dichotomy, highlight the gray areas in between, and see whether these nuances could serve as common ground for understanding,”

— says Dmytro Gadomskyi, founder of the Dead Lawyers Society.

The project will include:

A series of five video podcasts on the most contested issues of reform: judicial selection, governance of the court system, the concept of integrity, court staff, and the future of the judiciary.
A set of in-depth articles unpacking each of these themes in detail—for instance, how supreme courts are structured in different countries, or how lawyers elsewhere become judges. Several unexpected interviews are also planned.
A comprehensive study: “Corruption in the Courts Before and After NABU-SAP.”
And, to bring in evidence-based perspectives, the Dead Lawyers Society team will take a close look at the EU Justice Scoreboard and view Ukraine through the lens of the EU Rule of Law Report.

“The Dead Lawyers Society stands out for its creative style and ability to generate fresh ideas and perspectives on important issues. We hope this project will help identify shared reference points for all participants in judicial reform, which could serve as the basis for a culture of constructive dialogue,”

— emphasized Volodymyr Chaban, Head of the “Judicial Reform” component of the EU Project “PRAVO-Justice.”

The project “The Mightiest Branch” is implemented by the Dead Lawyers Society with support from a grant provided by the EU Project “PRAVO-Justice.” Its content is the sole responsibility of the Dead Lawyers Society and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

The EU Project “PRAVO-Justice” is an international technical assistance initiative implemented by Expertise France and funded by the European Union.

Since the Revolution of Dignity, the EU Project “PRAVO-Justice” has been among the drivers of advancing the rule of law in Ukraine: aligning national legislation with European standards, developing strategic reform visions, supporting judicial reform, and improving enforcement of court decisions.