Access to quality legal assistance is critically important. War creates specific legal challenges that cannot be resolved without professional knowledge. However, due to constant shelling, a complex security situation, or physical restrictions on movement, residents of frontline regions are often unable to consult lawyers in person.
That is why, as part of the project, the Stabilization Support Services Charitable Foundation provides professional, free legal assistance not only offline but also online. Through phone calls and other accessible electronic means of communication, residents of the Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions can get answers to their legal questions. Legal experts provide consultations, explain the provisions of the law, and help draft statements, appeals, and requests.
Success stories
A resident of the Zaporizhzhia region, Ms. Marina (name changed for security reasons), turned to the fund’s lawyers for help. The woman said that she wanted to restore the title documents, or more precisely, obtain duplicates of them, for a house that is currently located in the occupied territory. The house belongs to her mother, who is currently serving in the military and is therefore unable to do this herself.
“When the war started, we left very quickly. We grabbed one bag each and ran away. Our grandmother left a little later; she had the documents for the house, but she forgot them. We put off the issue of restoring the documents for a long time because my mother was on duty, and I was constantly at work and also taking care of my grandmother. We had neither the time nor the money to consult with lawyers. However, we found out that we could get legal assistance online, which made our lives much easier. My mother issued an official power of attorney for me, and together with a lawyer, we began the long process of making phone calls and searching for various methods of restoring the documents,”— Marina shares.
Marina and the lawyer began to restore the documents through the notary who had issued them.
“We sent requests to the Notary Chamber and the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine to find out whether that notary was currently practicing and, if so, where exactly, in which administrative-territorial unit of Ukraine, because they have this information. The Ministry of Justice replied that she was working, and provided her address and telephone number. Ms. Marina then went to see her and obtained a duplicate,” — summarizes Karina Golovachova, a lawyer with the mobile team in the Zaporizhzhia region.
According to the lawyer, another notary cannot issue a duplicate of the title document because they do not have access to their predecessor’s archive files. If Ms. Marina had not been able to find a notary, she would have had to prove her ownership in court.
The issue raised by Valentina (name changed for security reasons) from Mykolaiv region was resolved somewhat more quickly. The woman needed to arrange payments for internally displaced persons for her relative with limited mobility, whom she cares for.
“Olena (name changed for security reasons) and I now live together. We are both single pensioners. She is my relative, recently suffered a heart attack and cannot move around. I took her from Kherson, so I had to apply for IDP payments. However, I did not know how to do this. I was advised to contact lawyers. It’s great that it’s possible to get advice over the phone. The lawyer gave me all the explanations, told me what documents I needed and how to apply for IDP status without leaving home. I did everything as I was told, and it all worked out,” — says Valentina.
How to get help from lawyers
Free online consultations are a critically important resource for residents of frontline territories, as they provide access to justice in conditions of limited movement and danger.
To get legal help ONLINE, residents of Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions must:
1. Fill out a short form at the link:
https://ee-eu.kobotoolbox.org/x/DmkCpwri
2. After filling out the request form, our team of lawyers will contact you for an online consultation.
In addition, residents of Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions can receive legal advice on any legal issues in person during visits by the project’s mobile teams.
Free legal consultations are provided as part of implementation the project “Lifesaving response to protection concerns and humanitarian needs of conflict affected people in the South and South-East of Ukraine” is implemented by the Stabilization Support Services Charitable Foundation in partnership with the international humanitarian organization CARE, with financial support from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.