Cassation court leaves lawyer disbarments in force after Justice Ministry suit
Published · Updated
What happened
A cassation court on September 10 kept in force the disbarment of lawyers Dmitry Tal, Mikhail Proudin and Aleksei Basistov after a Justice Ministry lawsuit. The case followed a rule allowing deprivation of lawyer status for those who spent more than one year outside Russia.
Why it matters
The ruling confirms that the Justice Ministry can use the updated legal mechanism and defend it through the courts. That gives bar chambers and courts a clearer basis for similar cases involving lawyers connected to politically sensitive defendants.
On September 10, a Russian cassation court upheld the loss of lawyer status for Dmitry Tal, Mikhail Proudin and Aleksei Basistov in a case initiated by the Justice Ministry. The ruling gives practical effect to a recently broadened mechanism for disbarring lawyers who spent more than a year abroad. The immediate issue is not only the three individual cases but whether the Justice Ministry, regional bar chambers and lower courts now use the precedent against a wider circle of opposition-linked or politically sensitive defense lawyers.
Watch for
Russian Justice Ministry publication of new lawsuits or notices against named lawyers under the foreign-residence rule by 2026-09-25 Federal Chamber of Lawyers of the Russian Federation acknowledgement of guidance or disciplinary coordination on foreign-residence disbarment cases by 2026-09-25 Regional bar chambers in Moscow or St. Petersburg posting agenda items or decisions on lawyer-status termination by 2026-09-25 Supreme Court of the Russian Federation case registry showing acceptance or refusal of a further complaint in the Tal, Proudin, or Basistov cases by 2026-09-25
Sources
- Федеральная палата адвокатов Российской Федерации · fparf.ru
- Министерство юстиции Российской Федерации · minjust.gov.ru
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