Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's speech at the ceremony:

Good evening, colleagues! I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy professional holiday. We started celebrating this holiday in modern Russia not so long ago, but, as you know, it has deep historical roots and came into being as a result of the judicial reforms conducted by Alexander II. As is well known, our judicial statutes were issued at the time on this very day according to the new calendar, and Russian lawyers marked this day as their professional holiday until 1917. I believe that celebrating this holiday is a good way to ensure continuity.

I would also like to say that all of us here and those who consider themselves to be part of the legal trade made the right choice by deciding to attain a law degree. Our profession is in demand today, which is important. I remember when I was contemplating my future, and I spoke with my friends at school. It was 1982. I told them that I wanted to become a lawyer and they wondered who lawyers are and what kind of work they do. No one asks such questions today because our society is built in such a way that the role of lawyers here – as in most other modern countries – is highly valued. Things have changed, and we are part of these changes.

I would like to express my sincere congratulations to all of the Lawyer of the Year award recipients. I am pleased to participate in the award ceremony, especially since I have been involved in the establishment of this award.

I believe that the idea of giving the legal community the opportunity to choose the best representatives of our profession has lived up to our expectations.

The award plays a significant role in promoting a professional culture and social responsibility among lawyers. As you are well aware, such awards exist across the world. They are prestigious, and receiving such an award is a very welcome and, should I say, a very positive achievement for a lawyer.

Allow me to expand on the activities of the Association of Lawyers of Russia, as its work has many various aspects. Today, I would like to answer some questions and to make several points. First, and this is important, there are over 300 free legal advice centres across Russia that operate with the association's support. In fact, vast numbers of lawyers help our people to receive answers to their legal questions, and they do so on a voluntary basis. This is important for promoting legal literacy among Russians and for providing specific legal aid to people who can’t afford a lawyer. I believe that it’s important for building a true civil society.

Second, the association is becoming increasingly involved in progressive activities. Its members discuss various kinds of bills. For example, its members have reviewed Part IV of the Civil Code and other laws. I think that it would be wise to expand the association's use, and to include it in the activities of the Open Government. I encourage all of you to take part in these activities.

My third and last point is that most legal corporations worldwide hold performance evaluations. I think that the our association would benefit from such an evaluation, and we can think about providing one through the public authorisation in this area. As a matter of fact, this is part of the corporate culture of self-governing organisations, which are in high demand across the world. I will not suggest ways to deal with this problem today. It can be discussed later, and I think that this would be the right thing to do. These are the ideas that I wanted to share with you.

Of course, the primary reason why I am here is the Lawyer of the Year award. Yuri Tolstoy, a civil law professor at the St Petersburg State University, an honorary professor at the university as well, and an academic of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is receiving the For Contribution to the Legal Science award. He is my colleague and my mentor. I am very pleased to present him with this award.