St. Petersburg, Russia, Dec. 2003 – Jan. 2004

The group that traveled to Russia saw the great change in the legal system in the transition from the Soviet economy to more of a market-based economy. The group met President Judge Alyss Varanuva, head of one of five courts of general jurisdiction in St. Petersburg. Judge Varanuva also served as a judge in the old system prior to the reforms. The group also visited the bar association, where the association provided space and overhead for lawyers in exchange for 20% of the fee. They were very upset because President Putin mandated that the association split into several smaller groups, which diminished the power of the association and was another step of Putin in centralizing power in Moscow.

Posted by Alex Miller on behalf of Richard B. Klein

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