In April 2020, Robert Spano, a lawyer from Iceland, was elected as the new President of the European Court of Human Rights, who took office on 18 May 2020. President of the National University "Odesa Law Academy" Sergiy Kivalov congratulated the new President on his appointment.
In his turn, the President of the European Court of Human Rights replied: "It is a great honour for me that my colleagues have chosen me, as well as a responsibility, especially in such an unprecedented and turbulent time". Robert also promised to visit the National University "Odesa Law Academy" soon and meet with the university staff and students.
It should be noted that the National University "Odesa Law Academy" and the European Court of Human Rights cooperate closely. At the initiative of the President of the University, Academician Sergiy Kivalov, students and teachers have a unique opportunity to regularly visit the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. The visit programmes include excursions and lectures by lawyers, and meetings with ECHR judges.
For example, last May, students of the Faculty of Civil and Commercial Justice visited the European Court of Human Rights and met with leading experts of the Strasbourg Court. This is an exceptional opportunity for students to gain new knowledge and enrich their legal experience with new skills.
The National University "Odesa Law Academy" pays special attention to the training of specialists with fundamental knowledge of both national and international law and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.
It is worth noting that students of Odesa Law Academy were the first in Ukraine to attend a meeting of the Venice Commission and had the opportunity to communicate with members of the European Commission for Democracy through Law. The fact that the National University "OUA" pays great attention to the study of foreign languages also contributed to this. The university students have the opportunity to listen to lectures in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish. This is a unique project that has been operating for more than 15 years. Knowledge of languages helps them to work with the most up-to-date sources on legal topics and read materials that have not yet been translated into their native language. All of this is very important in the modern world and is paying off.
Therefore, Odesa Law School enjoys a well-deserved reputation in Europe, and its graduates can apply for the highest positions in the judicial system, both in Ukraine and abroad. The Odesa Law Academy also has the largest library in Ukraine, which allows students to keep abreast of all the latest developments in the field of law. For more than 20 years, the library has been receiving all the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, and students, teachers, lawyers, attorneys, and judges from all over the city can use this literature.
