The Symbol of Law: Why Heinrich Padva was more than just a Lawyer

One of Russia's most famous lawyers, Genrikh Padva, said goodbye in Moscow on Thursday, February 12. He did not live two weeks before his 95th birthday. And the funeral hall of the Central Design Bureau became a gathering of his colleagues, who were preparing to congratulate him on his birthday a little later. They recalled how for many decades Heinrich Pavlovich was not only an example, but also a teacher: he instructed, scolded, and gave ideas for protection. And despite the fact that for many years he was a symbol of the profession, he remained open and friendly. What his friends, colleagues and students told about Heinrich Padva is in the Izvestia article.

"Padva gave everything his own perspective on events"

On February 12, the funeral hall of the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow was full. The legal community, government officials, human rights activists, colleagues, clients, and students said goodbye to one of Russia's most famous and revered lawyers, Henrikh Padva. The lawyer died on February 9 at the age of 94.

An endless stream of flowers was carried to the coffin — both huge bouquets of maroon and white roses, chrysanthemums and scarlet carnations, as well as single roses and carnations. Dozens of funeral wreaths were placed along the walls of the hall. Among them were from the Padva and Partners Law Firm, and from the International Union of Lawyers for Cooperation, which was the name of the independent Union of Lawyers of the USSR after the collapse of the USSR, one of the initiators of which was Henry Padva.

Wreaths were sent by the Ministry of Justice of Russia, law chambers, communities, unions and bureaus — the Federal Chamber of Lawyers, the Moscow City Bar Association, the Guild of Russian Lawyers, the Bar Chamber of Mordovia, the Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia and many others.

Ombudsman Tatiana Moskalkova came to personally say goodbye to Henry Padva. Addressing the audience, she called him a man with the highest standards of morality. She also shared one of the episodes of his life: in the 1980s, Padva's apartment was robbed, and law enforcement agencies found the suspect.

— Henry Pavlovich asked to talk to him. After the conversation, he said that he had not committed this crime, and became the lawyer of the man who was accused of stealing his house. And I protected him," Tatiana Moskalkova recalled.

As a result, the charges against this man were dropped.

—Henrikh Pavlovich was always generous in giving other people love, warmth and knowledge,— Tatiana Moskalkova continued. — He recently opened a channel on his social networks, read it. These little stories tell about our realities, about the difficulties of protecting a person, his rights and freedoms, honor and dignity," the Ombudsman said.

Another of the luminaries of Russian jurisprudence, Honored Lawyer of the Russian Federation Henry Reznik, came to say goodbye.

"Henrikh Padva's name will be written in golden letters in the history of the Russian legal profession," the lawyer is confident. — He will remain an unsurpassed standard of dedication to the profession. We were going to celebrate his 95th birthday in two weeks, but I draw attention to his other figure — 73 years in the profession.

Henry Resnick recalled the culture of speech of Heinrich Padva, which became one of his business cards, and his deep erudition.

"Even his appearance spoke of the nobility and dignity of his profession," the lawyer noted. — At the same time, he was a very cheerful and easy person, possessed self-irony. He has always been the soul of the company. A great storyteller. A bright, decent life, and 40 years of our friendship.

Svetlana Volodina, head of the Federal Chamber of Lawyers, said that Genrikh Padva had been on the public agenda until recently.

"I tried to tell him the news of what happened. And he already knew everything. He looked at everything, he evaluated everything, he gave everything his own view of events. It was amazing that a person at that age was interested in everything that was happening in the community," she said. — And his legacy will not be forgotten.

"He was the creator of an entire school"

For many years, his colleague, partner in the law firm Alexander Hofstein, worked with Heinrich Padva.

— He was not just a symbol of the legal profession. He was the creator of an entire school of criminal defense with principles he had learned, views on the structure of the process, and the role of a lawyer in legal proceedings. He was the pride of the corporation," he admitted.

Alexander Hofstein also drew attention to Heinrich Padva's talent in pedagogy.

— He was not only incredibly skilled in this field, but also infinitely generous. There are a huge number of lawyers present here. Having found some unexpected and necessary turn for protection, we want to shine for ourselves. He generously gave away, if not to say, scattered stunning legal ideas so that his colleagues could fully and honorably fulfill their mission," the lawyer recalled and stressed that Henrikh Pavlovich had kept a bright head and a love of life until his last days.

Lawyer Anatoly Kucherena thanked Henrikh Padva for his experience.

— Henry Pavlovich and Henry Markovich (Reznik. — Ed.) sometimes they scolded me for some wrong actions. I've been carrying this with me all my life, and I'm very grateful for it," he said.

Lawyer Elena Menshikova said that she met Henry Padva when she was 25 years old, and as long as she remembered him, he always remained a charming, intelligent and kind person.

— It's a whole epoch. He taught us how to defend and perform. He taught me humanity and kindness. We all remember his kindness and humor... Listening to him was a great pleasure, as he broke down the charges and built a defense line," she said.

Lawyer Elena Nakhimova also pointed out that Henry Padva raised a whole generation of professionals.

— There is no such thing and there won't be a second one. He taught us. We came (to work. — Ed.) with higher education, but absolutely green, helpless, stupid. After talking with him, we became smarter, wiser and began to look like real lawyers," said Elena Nakhimova.

And lawyer Alexey Alexandrov said that Henrikh Padva, like no other, combined a brilliant professional and a good man.

— Kind, principled, charming, funny. Fortunately, he lived a long life," he noted.

And he also lamented that on February 20, 2026, the entire law community was preparing to congratulate Padva on his 95th birthday.

Who was Heinrich Padva and where did he work

Henry Padva was born on February 20, 1931 in Moscow in the family of an economist. In 1953 he graduated from the Moscow Law Institute (now the Faculty of Law of Lomonosov Moscow State University), in 1961 from the Correspondence Faculty of the Kalinin Pedagogical Institute (now Tver State University).

After graduating in 1953, he was assigned to work as a lawyer in the Kalinin (now Tver) region: in the village of Pogoreloe Gorodishche, Torzhok, Kalinin (Tver).

In 1971, Henry Padva returned to the capital and joined the Moscow City Bar Association. In 1985, he became a member of its presidium.

In 1996, he resigned from the board and created his own office, Padva and Partners.

In 2004, together with legal consultant Semyon Epstein, he co-founded the Padva & Epstein Law Firm, which specializes in corporate disputes.

In 2000, he received the title of Honored Lawyer of the Russian Federation.

He was awarded the F.N. Plevako Gold Medal for his long-term contribution to the development of the legal profession. Recipient of the badge of honor "Public recognition".