Institute of State and Law

ABOUT

The Institute of State and Law is a structural academic unit of the University of Tyumen. It has 8 departments  with 111 full-time and 42 part-time academic staff members, including 28 Professors, PhD and 102 Doctors of Pedagogics. 1200–1300 full-time students are enrolled in Bachelor degree programmes and Specialist programmes; 192 students are enrolled in Master degree programmes. 719 students of Bachelor degree programmes, 180 students of Specialist programmes and 315 students of Master degree programmes study part-time. More than 13 thousand students have received their legal education since the Institute of State and Law was established. The best alumni of the Institute became chairmen of legislative and executive branches of central and local public authorities, federal bodies, famous judges, lawyers and representatives of large business. V.V. Yakushev, N.A. Shevchik, A.V. Rakova, E.V. Skryabin, E.P. Struzhak, V.A Rein, A.V. Rider, A.Yu. Nekrasov, A.А. Klikushin, V.N. Falkov, D.Yu Goritskiy and many others are among them.

HISTORY

The Institute of State and Law is a structural academic unit of the University of Tyumen. It was founded on the 18 October 1999 on the basis of two faculties: Law Faculty and Faculty of State and Municipal Law. Providing their graduates with the diplomas of higher education, the first chair of State and Law was established in 1985 on the basis of Faculty of History (with V. A. Danilov as a dean). In 1986 the new Faculty of History and Law was established (with E.B. Zabolotniy as a dean) and in 1987 it was divided into two faculties - Law faculty and Faculty of History. Over the years the following deans held the office of the Law Faculty: G. Chebotarev (1988-1989), O. Klots (1989-1998), S. Marochkin (1998-2000). 

Besides the above-mentioned deans, the first academic staff of the faculty comprised the scholars from Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Tyumen and other Russian cities. Among them N.I. Krasnoyarova, V.F. Kirillov, N.A. Vlasenko, S.V. Nikitin, A.E. Chernomorets, M.F. Lukyanenko, N.V. Berezina (Sukhova), L.M. Volodina and the lecturer A.V. Kuznetsov can be mentioned.

During that period of time, a number of new chairs were established: Department of Judicature (1988), Department of Civil and Labour Law (1988), Department of Criminal Law and Criminalistics (1990), Department of Foreign Languages (1993). The branch of the chair of State and Law was founded on the basis of Regional Congress of People’s Deputies in 1991 and reestablished in 1994 as a unified branch of the chairs affiliated with the Administration of Tyumen Region and Tyumen Regional Duma (with V.I. Ulyanov as a head). Within Law Faculty Department of State and Municipal Law was founded in 1992. On its basis the separate Faculty of Public Administration appeared in 1996 (with V.E. Sevryugin as a deputy dean), as well as Department of Legal Studies (1996) and the Legal Clinic (1999). The first cohort of 43 full-time students, majoring in Legal Studies, obtained their diplomas in 1990, while the first cohort of 16 part-time and 47 correspondent students graduated in 1991.

The Faculties of Law and Public Administration ceased to exist within the Institute of State and Law in 2000 while the establishment of new chairs, laboratories and other academic units was on-going. During that period of time various departments and academic units emerged, including Department of Civil Law and Arbitral Procedure, Department of International Law (2000), academic Department of Legal Studies (2003), Department of Tax and Taxation (2004), Training Centre for Civil Servants, Information Centre, Distance Learning Centre (demerging in the Institute for Distance Learning in 2003), Laboratory for Applied Teaching Techniques. The branches of Criminal Law and Procedure Department affiliated to Prosecutor-General of the Tyumen Region and Department of Civil and Family Law affiliated to the Agency of Justice for Real Estate Property Rights were established. The academic programme in Tax and Taxation field was implemented in 2001, while in 2004 the programmes majoring in Jurisprudence, Regional Administration and Municipal Administration were launched as well as the Council of Europe Reporting Unit.

Since 2011 till 2012 the Institute became a structural unit within the Institute of Law, Economics and Management, while in 2013 the Institute of State and Law restored its initial status of a separate academic unit. The awarding of PhD degrees on a number of specialties comprising 12.00.02 (“Constitutional Law”, “Municipal Law”) and 12.0013 (“Social and Economic Systems Administration”, “Legal Informatics”, “The application of Mathematical techniques of the IT-equipment in Legal Practice”) was vested in the first Dissertation Council K064.23.09 within the Institute of State and Law by the State Commission for Academic Degrees and Titles in 1997. In March of 2001 the academic board of the Dissertation Council D212.274.06, awarding both Doctoral and PhD degrees on the specialties 12.00.02 and 12.00.14, was approved. Over the period of time since 1997 till 2015 22 Doctoral and 302 PhD degrees were awarded.

The faculty of the Institute of State and Law actively participate in the development and the provision of academic legal expertise to the draft legislation for the government officials of the Tyumen region, Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Districts. The research and scientific activity of the Institute’s faculty is highly appreciated throughout the country. The Institute of State and Law in collaboration with the Tyumen region administration held a number of conferences and workshops, among which the research and application conferences “The Union State of Russia and Belarus is due to exist”, “Legal science and legal education at the turn of the century: the urgent issues and future opportunities” are worth mentioning. Among the scientific events, held by the Institute in 2001, the workshop “New Taxation Legislation in Russia: the pitfalls and the development opportunities”, the regional research and application conference for young scientists “The legal issues of the social and economic integration of Tyumen region and Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Districts”, the joint Russian-Canadian workshop “Legal and Administrative Issues of Fuel and Energy Complex”, the international workshop for post-graduate students held by Canadian specialists from the Institute of Environmental Management (Alberta, Canada) can be mentioned.

In 2014 the Institute of State and Law in collaboration with the Arbitrary Court of the West-Siberian District and Tyumen Regional Court organized the international conference “First Siberian Legal Forum”, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the judiciary reform in the Russian Federation and the contemporary specializations of the courts and judges in Russia. The prominent specialists from seven countries of Europe, South Africa, Argentina and China were on the list of the Forum’s participants as well as the delegates of regional courts from a number of Russian regions, the professors from Moscow, Ekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, etc.

Much attention is devoted to the scientific work of students, who participate in Russian national, district, regional and international Olympiads in Law. They were the first and the second place winners over 2001–2005, took part in the district round of the Russian - German forum "Coming together to the XXI century" in 2002. Students are sent to other Russian and foreign higher educational institutions, (e.g. Jean-Pictet Competition in Portugal in 2002), international interacademic conferences, Russian national student research and practice conferences and olympiads held at the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, in Moscow State University, Kutafin Moscow State Law University, Ural State Law University, etc.

The Institute of State and Law maintains scientific contacts with leading educational and scientific institutions in Russia and abroad. The TEMPUS project "European Studies for Students of Volga ‒ Ural Region" has been realized since 2002. Project members are Luneburg University, the Institute of State and Law and other Russian partner institutions. The international educational TEMPUS project "Reforms in legal studies in the Russian Federation" with 4 Russian partner higher educational institutes (Tyumen State University, Perm State University, Izhecsk State University, Ural State Law University) and foreign institutes (University of Hannover, Luneburg University, University of Turku (Finland) and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)) has been implemented since 2003. S.Yu. Marochkin is managing the implementation of the grant TEMPUS-JPCR "Development of Double Degree Master Programme in International and European Law" (2013–16). I.S. Romanchuk is managing the grant of the President of the Russian Federation for working out measures to fight corruption. V. N. Falkov is in charge of Skolkovo programme "Prospects of Tyumen Region": New Industries and Human Resources".

The Institute of State and Law has 9 departments: Department of Theory of State and Law and International Law; Department of Civil Law and Procedure; Department of Constitutional Law and Municipal Law; Department of Administrative and Financial Law; Department of State and Municipal Management; Department of Labor Law and Enterprise, Department of Criminal Law and Procedure; Department of Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication for Law and Economics, Department of Customs with 120 full-time and 50 part-time academic staff members, including 32 Professors, and 102 PhDs. 1200–1300 full-time students are enrolled in Bachelor degree programmes and Specialist programmes; 192 students are enrolled in Master degree programmes. 719 students of Bachelor degree programmes, 180 students of Specialist programmes and 315 students of Master degree programmes study part-time. More than 13 thousand students have received their legal education since the Institute of State and Law was established. The best alumni of the Institute became chairmen of legislative and executive branches of central and local public authorities, federal bodies, famous judges, lawyers and representatives of large business. V.V. Yakushev, N.A. Shevchik, A.V. Rakova, E.V. Skryabin, E.P. Struzhak, V.A Rein, A.V. Rider, A.Yu. Nekrasov, A.А. Klikushin, V.N. Falkov, D.Yu Goritskiy and many others are among them.

The Association of Alumni was established in 1998 on the initiative of the Law Faculty Dean (A.E. Bukher as a first chairman of the Association), and was later re-named several times as the Association of Alumni of the Institute of State and Law; the Association of Alumni of the Institute of Law, Economics and Management. The Association of Alumni of University of Tyumen is the current name of the association, presided by N.M. Dobrynin. The Employer Council, functioning in the Institute of State and Law, is headed by M.V. Goretiy, and includes representatives of federal and regional public authorities, large and medium-sized business. The High School of State and Municipal Management and the Student Legal Clinic are structural subdivisions of the Institute. The High School of State and Municipal Management, directed by A.A. Yakovlev, is implementing a wide range of retraining and professional development programmes for state and municipal civil servants, requested by public authorities of Tyumen Region, Yamal-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Districts.

The Institute was headed by G.N. Chebotarev (1999‒2007), M.S. Mateikovich (2007‒11), V.N. Falkov (2011‒12), D.V. Lazutina (2012‒13). S.Yu. Marochkin (2013 – up to date). 

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND ACTIVITIES

Institute of State and Law (IGIP) has a long history of working internationally. International activity of ISL involves joint International projects, internships, seminars and conferences held jointly with foreign professionals as well as international publications and competitions.

ISL has been a participant of four big International Projects: Russian-Canadian project “Legal and Managerial Issues in Energy Sector”(2000-2005) ; two European TEMPUS projects which were carried out jointly with partnership universities from Germany, Finland, Greece, Sweden and some leading Law Schools in Russia: “Students Mobility of Volga and Ural region” (2001-2004), “Reforming Legal Education in Russia” (2003-2006);Russian- German Project supported by German Service of Academic Exchanges (DAAD) “Combating Corruption: Russian-German Experience” (2011-2013). Due to these projects students and lecturers from ISL and the University of Tyumen have greatly benefited from participation in international seminars, implementation of innovative methodology of teaching and mobility to the partnership universities. A distinctive feature of the effects of International Projects participation is implementation of European experimental curricula for law students into current academic process and development of innovative competence-oriented teaching law courses, involvement of students and University teaching staff as well as Tyumen and Tyumen region professionals into International dimension. Currently there is a new TEMPUS-JPCR Project “European and International Law Master Programme Development in Eastern Europe" running at ISL and headed by the Director, prof.S.Marochkin (2013–2016).

ISL concluded the agreements on cooperation and collaboration with the Universities of Canada (University of Calgary, 2000-2005), Great Britain (University of Wolverhampton 2010-2015), Germany (University of Administrative Sciences, Speyer 2008-2016), France (University of Lorraine 2012-2017).

Each year the Institute hosts foreign visiting scholars - jurists doctors and legal and business practitioners who bring their unrivalled range of expertise to the Institute students and teachers. During their visits students and faculty are engaged in lively debate and classroom discussions, attend lectures, workshops and informal sessions.

International visiting professors from Finland (Abo University) and Latvia (Tallinn University, Estonia) work part-time for the departments of Constitutional and Municipal Law and for the department of Theory, History and International Law. The Department of Foreign Languages and Intercultural Professional Communication hosts on a regular basis international visitors from around the globe including professors from Poland, Check Republic, Austria, USA, Great Britain, Germany, Finland, Latvia, Croatia. ISL can be proud of having hosted the lecturers from reputable Universities and Higher Schools (Yale University, Stanford University), the USA Fullbright programme winners teaching English language and culture courses to the ISL students. The Institute has conducted a number of International conferences jointly with scholars from partner universities. “Combating Corruption. Russia-German Experience” (2013), jointly with Germany). In 2014 ISL jointly with Commercial Court of Western Siberia and Tyumen Regional Court conducted a big International forum “First Legal Readings in Siberia” dedicated to 150 year anniversary of Law Reform in Russia and specialization of courts in modern times. Scholars and researchers from seven countries including Croatia, the Netherland, Denmark, Italy, South Africa, Argentina, China took part in the Forum.

ISL teaching staff and PhD students had a number of successful biddings for grants and undertook their short-term and long-term study visits and sabbaticals to Canada (2003,2006), Finland(2007,2008), the USA (2008,2009, 2010), Great Britain (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014), Germany (2005,2007, 2010, 2013, 2014),France (2007,2013), Croatia(2014). In 2014 four post-graduate students won Presidential grants for long-term research sabbaticals in the Universities of Tallin (Estonia) and Lueneburg (Germany). In recent years more than 60 post graduate students and lecturers were involved into group and individual outgoing international mobility.

The ISL students take part in divergent international events: International Russian-German Forum ”Being together in XXI century” (2002);international competitions ”European Youth Parliament”(2008), United Nations’Organisation Model”(2010-2015)International Legal Ethic”(2011), International Criminal Law Moot Court Competition, held by International Association of Criminal Law. Seven students from ISL were nominated to take part in the second round of the competition dealing with oral arguing in moot court litigation. Since 2011 and onwards the students take part in English language and professional communication Summer Schools based in International English language Academy, University of Wolverhampton. Within the period of 2011-2014 30 students, headed by prof. I. Pluzhnik and associate prof. S. Racheva, enjoyed their classes on intercultural awareness communication in law and business related contexts, conducted by Wolverhampton University English teachers and other professionals, took part in sightseeing trips, established contacts with international students.

To enable ISL students to participate in international activities ISL offers them specialized foreign languages courses, including the course for translators in professional area which operate on a permanent basis. As a result, ISL students have been the winners of All Russia competitions in Legal English and Legal German not once: A. Kuvshinov(top place, German, 2012, 2015), A. Semenchenko (top place, English, 2010), E. Shtefan(top place, English, 2012), N. Smakhnina (second top place,English,2012), N. Bazanova (second top place, German 2012). A.Kuvshinov won the German Language competition in Moscow conducted within the framework of Germany Year in Russia. Three students won the Essay competition on Legal Ethic (N. Smakhtina) and were offered a sabbatical on Legal academic writing held by American lecturers MGIMO, Moscow; International essay competition on Finland, conducted by the Finnish Embassy (A. Kachur and I. Skosirskikh, 2012). Only within 2012-2014 students published more than 20 international articles. They enjoy participating in modern innovative international activities, the effect of which was that 20 students having took part in International online project X-Culture held jointly with the USA.

International involvement of ISL teaching staff and students contributes a lot to their learning and teaching enhancement.