Any investigation in the old Soviet TV series was available to them. Today, the generation of social networks and artificial intelligence chooses a huge list of legal specialties as their professional future. But the requirements have not changed: they must all be experts in their field. On the eve of Lawyer's Day, we are talking about this main educational mission of the University with the Dean of the Faculty of Law, SSU, Doctor in Law, Honoured Lawyer of the Russian Federation Galina Komkova.
– How did it happen that Lawyer's Day was celebrated even before the revolution, but in modern Russia it became an official holiday only in 2008? What is the date of December 3rd related to?
– Russian jurisprudence has reached a new level after two events: the publication of the Complete Collection of Laws and the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire and the judicial reform of 1864. This period gave Russia a whole generation of lawyers who laid the foundation for the further development of legal science. They took German jurisprudence as a basis, and first of all, the historical school of law, which was then the leading direction. It was this day, December 3, that Russian jurists considered their professional holiday until 1917. Then the lawyers began to congratulate on the Police Day holiday. And in January 2008, at the congress of the Association of Lawyers of Russia, the idea of establishing a new professional holiday was supported. The date of December 3 was chosen again due to the fact that on this day in 1864, Alexander II initiated the reform of the judicial system of the Russian Empire, his decree established the institutes of the bar, notary and jury courts.
– The Law Faculty of SSU has a difficult history. Since 1917, it has been renamed several times, then spun off into a separate university, and in 2005 it returned to its native roof. What events was this related to?
– It can be said that legal education in the Saratov region began with our university, since on July 1, 1917, during the activity of the Provisional Government, three new faculties were formed: historical and philological, physical and mathematical and legal. The first dean of the Faculty of Law was a prominent academic lawyer Gustav Telberg – an interesting personality, later he was Kolchak's Minister of Justice, introduced the jury trial; after emigrating, he taught in Harbin, and ended his life in America.
Teachers from Moscow State University and other universities were invited to the Faculty of Law. Well-known legal experts worked on it: the history of Russian law was taught by one of the founders of the history of state and law, Professor Serafim Vladimirovich Yushkov. A well-known specialist in the field of the history of legal and political doctrines, Professor Stepan Fedorovich Kechekyan, headed the Department of Philosophy of Law. Professor Mikhail Mikhailovich Agarkov, whose works in the field of private law are being studied by students and currently, lectured at the Department of Civil Law. The first admission to the Faculty of Law was 428 people.
In 1931, when there was a wave of creation of specialized institutes, by decision of the government, the faculty was transformed into an independent university – the Saratov Institute of Soviet Law, which still exists today as the Saratov State Academy of Law.
The Faculty of Law of SSU received its second birth in 2005. The question has long been overdue: why does the classical university not have its own law faculty? Until that time, for about 6 years, the Faculty of History had been training specialists in the field of jurisprudence, and the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics had been training specialists in the field of applied computer science in jurisprudence. The Federal Agency for Education allocated 50 budget places for lawyers for the 2005/2006 academic year, and a competition was held among the medalists through interviews. I am proud that half of this set was made up of medalists. These people made a name for us and then developed the faculty in every possible way.
– In 2006, you became the dean of the faculty, that is, almost immediately after its revival. What tasks were set at that time and what was subsequently implemented?
– Since we started from scratch, our first task was to find educational facilities. Other faculties helped us here, for example, the Faculty of Sociology, where our political scientists studied. Classes were also held in the X building, in the museum, and on the second floor site, and even in the dormitory. We were looking for staff – teachers and faculty members. At first it was very difficult, but gradually everything got better, especially when in 2008 a new XII building was built, where our faculty was allocated the entire fifth floor. Currently, we have about 1,500 students studying in three bachelor's degree areas – law, political science, advertising and public relations; three specialties – customs, forensic examination, judicial and prosecutorial activities; as well as master's and postgraduate studies in all these areas. You can get an education from a bachelor's degree to a doctor of sciences here. There are also such, for example, our graduates, and now teachers: Doctors of Law, professors Alexander Alexandrovich Kazakov, Elena Valeryevna Berdnikova, Svetlana Anatolyevna Kulikova.
– What are the fundamental differences between the educational program of the Faculty of Law of the SSU and, say, the Saratov Academy of Law?
– There are no fundamental differences and there cannot be, because when implementing various specialties and bachelor's degrees, all universities adhere to the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard. However, the university environment, of course, imposes its own specifics. The concept of "academic freedoms" is not an empty phrase for our students and teachers. Students are also influenced by other faculties: historians, philosophers, and foreign language specialists teach here. There is interaction and enrichment. This is how the university spirit is formed.
– Galina Nikolaevna, you yourself graduated from the Saratov Law Institute named after D.I. Kursky, who were your teachers who inspired you to become a lawyer?
– First of all, this is my father Nikolai Ilyich Yemtsov, who for a long time was a judge, chairman of the court in one of the districts of Karachay-Cherkessia. He is a front-line soldier, was wounded while crossing the Dnieper and then underwent treatment in Saratov. When he came home from work, he told me about specific cases of his judicial practice, every time I waited for his new story, and interest in jurisprudence arose.
Studying at the institute literally captured me, for all the years of study I did not have a single four. At the same time, the excellent student chose the most difficult topics, for example, my scientific work "The identity of a pickpocket" involved trips to the colony, where I talked with prisoners, studied their psychology and the mechanism of theft.
At the institute, prominent legal scholars taught at our judicial and prosecutorial faculty: Mikhail Iosifovich Baytin read the theory of state and law, Nina Ivanovna Khimicheva read financial law, Vasily Mikhailovich Manokhin taught administrative law, and Isaac Efimovich Farber taught state law. It was at his lecture on human rights that I heard that the right to freedom of conscience is still regulated by the old Regulation on Religious Organizations of 1929 and that it is time to change it. At that time, I had the courage to approach Isaac Efimovich after the lecture and say that I was ready to study this issue, and asked him to become my supervisor for a thesis on this topic. To my surprise, Professor Farber agreed. It was Isaac Efimovich who suggested to me the topic of a PhD thesis related to the constitutional human right to freedom of conscience. It was very interesting for me to communicate with the teachers of the Department of Public Law as colleagues. The department was headed by Vladimir Terentyevich Kabyshev.
Isaac Efimovich raised 17 candidates of science, four of whom subsequently defended their doctoral dissertations, including Vladimir Terenyevich Kabyshev, who, after the death of his teacher, did not leave his graduate students (including me) to fend for themselves. It was under his guidance that in 1991 I defended my PhD thesis on "Constitutional issues of freedom of conscience in the USSR."
– How and by what means is it possible to maintain interest in legal science among modern young people? What names make the faculty famous today?
– In this regard, no matter how interesting it may seem, cinema still helps us: detective series contribute to a large competition for forensic examination! Although this is a very difficult profession, on the verge of legal and natural science disciplines, not everyone can do it.
In general, legal specialties are very prestigious today, as they provide a wide range of opportunities for the realization of professional ambitions. Although the revived Faculty of Law is only 18 years old, we can be proud of many of our graduates, information about some of them is presented on our website. Well, for example, the current Deputy chairman of the Government of the Saratov region, Minister of Education Mikhail Igorevich Orlov is a graduate of the Law Faculty. Sergey Viktorovich Nekhaev is the Vice-governor of the Kamchatka Territory. Our former graduate student Anna Sergeevna Burdanova (Dubova), who defended her PhD thesis on constitutional law, is now the head of the department of the Government of the Saratov region. Our graduates work in all regions of the country. For example, Igor Ivanovich Kuznetsov, who defended his doctoral thesis in political sciences, was invited to work at Moscow State University, now works at the Faculty of Political Science, and is also the executive director of the Russian Society of Political Scientists. Daniil Olegovich Mandrygin is an assistant prosecutor of the Vyborg Prosecutor's Office, Roman Kashargin is a lawyer at the St. Petersburg Bar Association. A number of graduates of the faculty, having received higher education, completed master's and postgraduate studies, becoming candidates and doctors of sciences, work as teachers at our faculty and at the university. For example, the vice-rector of SSU for youth policy and educational work Anton Vladimirovich Golovchenko, faculty teachers: Kazakov, Berdnikova, Sychev, Torosyan, Ilyukhina, Glukhova.
– What are the most significant scientific, informational, practice-oriented projects implemented by the Faculty of Law of the SSU today? What role is assigned to the Legal Clinic among them?
– More than a quarter of the faculty's teachers are members of public, expert councils and competitive qualification commissions established under the authorities of the Saratov region, territorial federal authorities in the region. Our teachers are members of the Expert Council at the Saratov Regional Duma, the public expert Council at the Saratov City Duma and almost every month give opinions on draft laws at the federal and regional levels.
As for the Legal Clinic headed by Maria Sergeevna Karamysheva, it performs a very important social function – it provides free legal assistance to socially unprotected categories of the population, conducts active educational activities. On the other hand, this is a good practice for our students. During the reception of visitors, they learn how to build a dialogue with people, draw up legal documents, and analyze legislation. They travel to districts, schools, and conduct up to 150 consultations a year.
– You have repeatedly come up with legislative initiatives designed to develop the protection of citizens' rights. Which of them are the most significant for you as a deputy of the Saratov Regional Duma for two terms?
– Of course, during the ten years of my parliamentary powers, I have repeatedly, together with my fellow deputies, had to come up with legislative initiatives on a variety of issues: improving electoral legislation and the powers of government, protecting the rights of citizens.
There are some that are particularly memorable. For example, in the Krasnoarmeysky district, at a reception at the Temporary Detention Center for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, one of the residents raised the problem of feeding their children in school canteens. As a deputy of the Regional Duma, I initiated amendments to the Law "On Education in the Saratov region". Amendments were made by the regional government, a clause was added to article 12 of the law stating that children of refugees and internally displaced persons living in temporary accommodation centers should be fed at the expense of the budget in schools.
Since I am a Kuban Cossack, I am very glad that with my assistance the law "On state support of the Cossacks in the Saratov region" was adopted. He legalized the status of Cossack formations, guaranteed the support of state authorities and local self–government - this is exactly what the voters asked me to do. And today I am pleased to observe how the Cossack movement is actively developing, and every year there is an initiation into Cossack classes. And in the Samoylovsky district there was a holiday – the Day of the wild peony. At one time, this was my constituency, and I have always admired how carefully people treat the beauty of their native land. I am very glad that the district has its own tourist feature.
– Does the scientific school that was formed under your leadership have priorities related to the problems of equality of human rights?
– The principle of equality of rights and freedoms is one of the fundamental principles of the existence of a modern democratic state, so it was very interesting for me to deal with the problems of its content and implementation. Apparently, I infected my students with my enthusiasm, who prepared and defended PhD theses on various aspects of this topic: equality before the law and the court, equality of men and women in the field of work, equality of political parties and candidates in elections, equality regardless of language and property status. As well as on issues related to the prohibition of discrimination and protection from discrimination. Now there is a new issue that has not been touched upon in scientific research before – equality regardless of race and origin. I also give these topics to my undergraduates and graduate students, many of whom plan to continue their research on the principle of equality.
– At one of the recent conferences, you discussed with colleagues the problems of teaching legal disciplines in the context of widespread use of information technology. Apparently, there are new challenges? Which ones?
– The so–called "generation Z" is the generation of social networks. In their understanding, this is a public space for self-expression, self-presentation and socialization. The intervention of adults, whether parents or teachers, in this circle of communication is not only discouraged, but also blocked. Unfortunately, the clip-based thinking of these young people often makes them vulnerable to manipulation and provocation.
Now they are already talking about the "alpha generation" – these are children under the age of ten and all those who will be born in the coming years. So far, we cannot say with certainty what they will be like, what challenges they will face. But marketers, psychologists and futurists are already outlining some trends: most likely, the "alphas" will survive the digital revolution in education, will live in the world of robots, will master five professions in a lifetime, will be able to live up to a hundred years and will seriously take up ecology.
We are faced with urgent issues related to the improvement of teaching methods, with the introduction of remote communication methods. We need to look for new ways, forms and approaches in order to be able to interest students and give them the necessary professional and practical skills using the latest information technologies.
In addition, we will develop and open new areas of master's degree programs, taking into account the needs of employers.
– Do you already have traditions of celebrating Lawyer's Day at your faculty?
– Yes, of course, since we have several humanitarian areas represented at the faculty, we celebrate both customs officer's day and advertiser's day. And we try to mark lawyer's day in particular, linking this date with the nearest important date for every lawyer – the Constitution Day of Russia, on December 12 she will turn 30 years old.
– What would you like to wish your colleagues on a festive day?
– Since any case turns out well only when it is a favorite, I would like to wish my fellow lawyers: lawyers, judges, prosecutors, notaries, law teachers - to fulfill their duties with soul and with love! Then, thanks to the efforts of lawyers, we will be able to build a state governed by the rule of law and a just society.
Interviewer: Tamara Korneva
Translator: Lyudmila Yefremova
