The research focuses theoretical and practical manifestations of the concept of the rule of law in civil proceedings.

The purpose of the article is to reveal some substantive elements of the principle of the rule of law in civil proceedings, which is one of the fundamental principles of justice, has a universal character, covers all areas of legal regulation and branches of justice. The analysis of these components of the rule of law is carried out from the point of view of the advocate as a representative of the rights and legitimate interests of a person in civil proceedings. An additional focus of the study is interpretation of the precedents of the highest courts of Ukraine, which embodies implementations of various aspects of the of the rule of law.

 As the basic conclusion of the research the author interprets the rule of law as a concept on which both the philosophy of modern justice, current law enforcement and legal understanding are based. The rule of law means justice and it is a mega-principle and a universal standard that covers all areas of legal regulation and branches of the judiciary. All activities of the judges and advocates in the global dimension should be aimed at restoring the violation of the balance of legal justice and the rule of law as meta-principles, as well as at protection of single components of these principles. The characteristics of certain elements of the rule of law principle in civil proceedings are presented, in particular these are access to courts, motivation of court decisions, effective remedy of legal protection, execution of court decisions.

 In the conclusion the author emphasizes that access to courts in civil proceedings is provided by a set of procedural tools aimed to overcome legal and factual obstacles on an individual path of access to court. The proper organization of the judiciary, which includes sufficient number of judges in the judiciary, ensures the territorial proximity of courts, and creates decent conditions for judges to consider and resolve cases and the legal activism of advocates, are significant aspects of access to justice.

 Proper motivation of court decisions in civil proceedings is an important component of the rule of law, which consists of careful revision and evaluation of all of the arguments presented by the parties, analyzing all of the factual circumstances of the case, presenting the legal qualification of the disputed relationship. All of these issues should be enounced in the court decision. Poor argumentation of a judicial verdict undermines the balance of procedural and substantive justice, could be classified as a sign of arbitrariness, and contradicts generally accepted international standards of due process.

The protection of an individual right can be considered effective if it eliminates the existing factual and legal obstacles that arise during the exercise of this right, provides a restoration of the state that existed before the circumstances that limited this right. An effective remedy not only enables a person to exercise an individual right in accordance with law or a civil law agreement, but also to dispose of specific material and/or intangible assets.

 Execution of court decisions is an integral part of administration of justice, its final stage, which is covered by all the guarantees of a fair trial, provided for in part 1 of article 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Initial purpose of justice will not be achieved if the final court decision is not executed.

Bibliography

Authored books

1. Chvankin S, Dokazuvannia u tsyvilnomu protsesi v epokhu informatsiinykh tekhnolohii (Feniks 2021) (in Ukrainian).

 2. Fojnickij I, Kurs ugolovnogo sudoproizvodstva, t 1 (Al’fa 1996) (in Russian).

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 Edited books

7. Kurs tsyvilnoho protsesu: pidruchnyk (Komarov V red, Pravo 2011) (in Ukrainian).

8. Posibnyk z napysannia sudovykh rishen u tsyvilnomu i kryminalnomu sudochynstvi (Vaite 2016) (in Ukrainian).

Encyclopedias

9. Ovcharenko O, ‘Dostupnist pravosuddia’ Velyka ukrainska yurydychna entsyklopediia: u 20 tomakh. Tom 19. Kryminalnyi protses, sudoustrii, prokuratura ta advokatura (Nor V holova redkol, NAPrN Ukrainy, In-t derzhavy i prava im V M Koretskoho NAN Ukrainy, Nats. yuryd. un-t im. Yaroslava Mudroho 2020) 215–8 (in Ukrainian).

Journal articles

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