Job Guardian: judges from new regions can be credited with a day of experience in two

The Supreme Court of Russia has proposed to count the length of service of judges from new regions in double the amount — at the rate of one day for two. Such a bill was approved by the plenum of the Supreme Council on January 27 for submission to the State Duma. The new measure should increase the level of protection of the social rights of judges working in difficult conditions. They have difficulties, in particular, with arranging family life and receiving medical care. If the amendments are adopted, work in these territories will become more attractive for young and ambitious lawyers, experts say. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

Double the length of service

The draft law, which provides for a change in the terms of seniority for judges working in new Russian regions, was approved during the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, chaired by Igor Krasnov. It will be submitted to the State Duma for consideration in the near future.

"The time spent as a judge of the courts of the Russian Federation located in the territories of the Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, during the period of the special military operation, is counted in the length of service of a judge in double amount from January 1, 2025," the document says (Izvestia has it).

Amendments are planned to be made to the federal law "On Additional guarantees of social protection for Judges and employees of the Courts of the Russian Federation."

The new bill is aimed at increasing the level of social protection of judges who work in difficult conditions, the explanatory note says.

— Judges authorized to administer justice in historical territories accepted in the Russian Federation, where martial law currently operates, are in special conditions associated with certain difficulties and restrictions. They relate to arranging family life, educating children, receiving medical care and other social issues," said Oleg Zatelepin, Secretary of the Plenum of the Supreme Court, Judge of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, during the meeting.

As indicated in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the level of social protection of judges working in new regions should be higher than that of their colleagues from other regions of the country.

The Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Justice supported the proposed bill without comments or objections.

The Supreme Court recalled that the preferential seniority system had been used before during the special operation. Thus, starting from January 1, 2024, the length of service is calculated for two days for citizens who have served in the new regions, as well as for law enforcement officers, the state fire service and the National Guard.

How the bill will help judges

This motivating norm will encourage people to come and work in new regions — there is currently a shortage of personnel there, said former prosecutor's office investigator, lawyer Vadim Bagaturia.

"Being in a high—risk area, people have the right to expect preferences, for example, early retirement or receiving titles and qualification classes, if we are talking about judges," he told Izvestia.

If the bill is passed, judges will have a choice — to stay in their region and work until retirement for a long time, or to go to new ones to get a well-deserved rest twice as fast, the lawyer explained.

The judicial order in the new regions requires a judge not only to have an impeccable knowledge of law, but also to have high psychological stability, Olga Kamenskaya, a lawyer at the Moscow Regional Bar Association and mediator at the Mediation Center at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, said in a conversation with Izvestia.

— The measure proposed by the Supreme Court is a logical step. In addition, due to the enormous infrastructure deficit, judges face various domestic difficulties. For example, problems arise when looking for a school for children or getting medical care," she said.

The initiative of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation is an expected step that continues the course towards providing social guarantees for employees of key government institutions in new regions, Daniil Sablin, Managing Partner of Sabatrast Law Office, told Izvestia.

"The Supreme Court is acting consistently, extending to the judicial community the support measures already taken for law enforcement agencies," he explained. — The bill is not so much innovative as it is leveling and stimulating.

Where else is the length of service counted on preferential terms

If the bill is passed, work in new regions of the Russian Federation will become more attractive, especially for young and ambitious judges who are ready to work in difficult conditions for the sake of accelerated professional growth, Daniil Sablin believes.

— For current judges, this is a strong argument to stay in new regions, as the risk of professional burnout or lagging in career growth is reduced, — the lawyer believes. — Awarding double the length of service to judges can be compared with "northern allowances" or work programs in remote territories.

Olga Kamenskaya added that there is already a fundamental legal practice in Russia where judges can rely not only on "northern allowances" for work in the Far North and equivalent areas, but sometimes on preferential calculation of seniority.

— The government recognizes that in harsh climatic conditions, human resources wear out faster than in ordinary regions. The situation in the new regions is similar in nature, but the military situation is not a factor. Crediting seniority on preferential terms is a proven compensation mechanism, for example, a similar measure was applied to health workers during the pandemic," the expert said.

When the situation in the new regions stabilizes, the seniority calculation system for judges will need to be brought to all-Russian standards, experts believe.