THE ROLE OF ADVOCACY IN THE SOCIAL AND LEGAL LIFE OF THE STATE

The article reveals the relevance of the research topic, taking into account the historical and modern influence of advocacy on the social and legal life of states. It is emphasized that the European integration processes and the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on the territory of our state are determined by the special role of lawyers and human rights defenders in the implementation of world standards for the protection of human rights and freedoms, the development of the legal system and reformation processes in the Ukrainian state. It is stipulated that only in the «environment of people of equal status» is the development of modern advocacy and its influence on the processes of state formation possible. The influence of some outstanding lawyers and human rights defenders on the development of progressive legal ideas of various countries in the 18th-20th centuries is analyzed. It is summarized that the priority areas of their activity in the specified sphere were: state building, the struggle for independence and national self-determination; creation of progressive for its time state-defining legal acts; philosophical works in the field of law and utopia; development of law and legislation in general; struggle for civil rights; protection of human rights and freedoms, individual representatives of society; overcoming such negative social phenomena as apartheid, extremism, racial segregation, gender inequality; performing the functions of public officials of various levels, etc. It is emphasized that lawyers played a significant role in the history of Ukraine at every historical stage of its development. In particular, during the Polish-Lithuanian era (XIV–XVI centuries.) in the court cases of the nobles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, among the poor Ukrainian nobles, «lawyer dynasties» were formed, which contributed to the increase in the level of legal education and legal awareness of the Ukrainian nobility. It has been analyzed that the activities of lawyers and the period—the end of the 19th century—the beginning of 20th century contributed to the formation of legislative systems, the laying of the foundations of national law, the unification of Ukrainian lawyers, the practical Ukrainianization of public and state institutions, the development of legal terminology, etc. It was noted that during the period of Ukraine's stay as part of the USSR, the activities of lawyers were strictly controlled by the totalitarian Soviet government and had a purely formal nature of participation in political trials. It is substantiated that at the current stage of Ukraine's development and in the conditions of a full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on the territory of our country, the fulfillment by lawyers of their own fundamental professional purpose, namely the protection of human rights in accordance with world standards, is of particular importance.