In 1988, as the Soviet Union started to dissolve, Georgian lawyers wishing to practice law rather than serving repressive aims of the state started to discuss coordinating as a group. In 1994, ninety lawyers met in the Tbilisi Schoolchildren's Palace and established the Georgia Young Lawyers' Association.[2]
GYLA's aims include promoting the rule of law and contributing to awareness and protection of human rights in Georgia.[1][7] GYLA aims to encourage ethical standards among lawyers.[3]
Leadership and structure
As of 2025[update], Nona Kurdovanidze was the Chair of GYLA.[4]As of 2025[update], GYLA had 800 members and employed 100 staff.[1][3]
Activities
GYLA provides free legal consultations, provides legal representation, promotes legal reform, and monitors government activities and elections.[1] It has legal aid centres in Tbilisi and seven other towns.[7]As of 2025[update], GYLA provided free consultations to about 50,000 people annually.[3]
GYLA specialises in legal help in relation to human rights violations by government or other administrative institutions, the rights of minorities and prisoners' rights.[7] In 2010 in the GYLA Kutaisi branch, GYLA member Nana Chapidze ran a project on juvenile delinquency, for which she stated that procedures and norms were not appropriate for minors, and that there was a lack of programs for rehabilitation.[2]
The Kutaisi GYLA branch carried out a women's rights training, including simulations of court trials and legislative debates.[2]
GYLA has taken actions in the Constitutional Court of Georgia and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). According to GYLA, as of 2025[update], eight of the 30 lawsuits submitted to the Constitutional Court were successful, and eight of the 135 lawsuits submitted to the ECHR were successful, while most remained open.[3]
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