Category: Information

This fall, Lithuania will host its first international conference“LAW FORUM 2026”will be held in Lithuania for the first time this fall, bringing together legal professionals, decision-makers, and leaders to discuss one of today’s most pressing issues: whether lawyers today are taking on enough leadership and responsibility in the life of society and the state.

As geopolitical tensions rise, technological change accelerates, and public expectations of the state grow, the law is increasingly at the center of decision-making. At the same time, however, a problem is becoming increasingly apparent: a lack of leadership within the legal community, where, at critical moments, it is not legal knowledge that is lacking, but the courage to act.

It is precisely these uncomfortable questions that “LAW FORUM 2026” raises, as it seeks to become a platform for open dialogue on the role of legal professionals in today’s world. The event’s goal is to bring together lawyers, judges, prosecutors, in-house counsel, notaries, bailiffs, public sector representatives, and business leaders for a joint discussion on how to strengthen legal professionals’ leadership and their influence in society.

“Today, we still face a lack of leadership where it is needed most. Lawyers are one of those professional groups that not only possess important skills and knowledge of the foundations of the rule of law, but also have the opportunity to influence the processes of the state and society. That is why it is very important that they decide to take responsibility and initiative to act at critical moments for the state,” says one of the forum’s speakers, former President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė.

She emphasizes that the role of a lawyer today is not limited to interpreting legal norms—it involves actively shaping the direction of the state and fostering public trust in institutions.

The conference will address topics that reflect the common challenges currently facing all legal professions: leadership and responsibility among lawyers, the changes brought to organizations by new generations of lawyers, their career expectations, reputation and authority, as well as issues of diversity, tolerance, and professional awareness.

The event will be attended by prominent figures from the fields of law, politics, and business, both from Lithuania and abroad. Among them are John Swords, NATO’s Senior Legal Adviser and Director of the Office of Legal Affairs; Ivan Mishchenko, a judge of the Supreme Court of Ukraine; Danguolė Bublienė, President of the Supreme Court of Lithuania and Chair of the Judicial Council; and Antanas Aleknavičius, Head of the National Cyber Security Center.

Particular attention will be paid to the role of artificial intelligence and advanced technologies in the legal field—not merely as tools for increasing efficiency, but as a fundamental factor transforming the very nature of the legal profession. The discussions will address questions such as whether lawyers today are adapting quickly enough to the solutions generated by AI, how to responsibly integrate them into practice, and where to draw the line between the possibilities of technology and professional responsibility.

The organizers aim to create a space where different perspectives come together not in a formal conference setting, but in a lively dialogue about practical solutions and responsibility.

It is hoped that the forum will mark the beginning of an ongoing dialogue that encourages the legal community to become more actively involved in the life of the state and society.

The conference is organized by the consulting agency “Good to know” in collaboration with its event partners: the Supreme Court of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Bar Association, and the Faculty of Law at Vilnius University. The event is sponsored by the law firm AVOCAD.

The conference will take place on October 15. For more information about the event, visit: https://lawforum.lt/

The law firm AVOCAD has become the official legal partner of the FK Jonava soccer club. The goal of the partnership is to strengthen the legal certainty of the club’s operations, contribute to the organization’s growth, and assist in resolving day-to-day legal issues that arise in the sports industry.

Egidijus Langys, managing partner and attorney at AVOCAD, says that this partnership is a natural step that continues the firm’s connection with Jonava and its sports community. “We have felt a close connection with Jonava for many years—it is a modern, growing, and vibrant city where we see a strong community and ambitious businesses. We are delighted to contribute to the city’s sports initiatives: we support basketball, and today we are also becoming the legal partners of FK “Jonava.” We believe that sports, like business, require strategy, discipline, and a strong team both on and off the field,” says E. Langys.

According to him, it is particularly important for the AVOCAD team to be close to regions that are driving change and demonstrating a commitment to growth. “Jonava stands out today for its breakthroughs, modern outlook, and active business community. It is important for us to be part of this growth and to contribute our expertise where value is being created for the city and its people,” says E. Langys.

Andrius Krasinskas, the head of FK Jonava, notes that professional sports today are inseparable from legal proceedings, which is why strong partners are crucial to the club’s day-to-day operations.

“Modern soccer is about more than just the game on the field. Clubs face a variety of legal issues: contracts, partnerships, organizational processes, and sports regulations. Having professional lawyers on hand means greater peace of mind and confidence when making important decisions. We are delighted that AVOCAD is joining our team,” says the head of FK Jonava.

AVOCAD actively collaborates with Lithuanian business and sports organizations and consistently supports initiatives that foster a sense of community, leadership, and professionalism.

Civil procedure is based on clear logic: the court only examines evidence that is relevant to the specific dispute. The Code of Civil Procedure stipulates that only evidence that confirms or refutes circumstances relevant to the case is admissible. At first glance, this seems like a simple and rational rule. However, in practice, the opposite often happens—the essence of the case gets lost in a sea of documents, and the process of proving the case turns into a complex procedural maze. As noted by Dainius Antanaitis, a lawyer with the AVOCAD professional association of lawyers , it is at this stage that the problem of the limits of proof most often becomes apparent.

"Evidence in a civil case is not just any information. It is only data about the circumstances that constitute the subject of proof. The latter includes legal facts with which legislation associates the emergence, change, or termination of the disputed legal relationship, as well as facts on which the parties' claims and counterclaims are based and other circumstances necessary for the application of substantive law," the lawyer notes, citing the practice of the Supreme Court. According to Dainius Antanaitis, proving a case in civil proceedings is not a process of gathering or archiving information. "Its purpose is to help the court establish specific, legally relevant facts on which the correct decision depends," says the AVOCAD lawyer.

In every civil case, the subject of proof depends on what right or legitimate interest the claimant is defending. In debt cases, the existence of an obligation and its non-fulfillment are proven; in cases of compensation for damages, unlawful actions, the fact of damage, causal link, and fault are proven; in cases of contesting transactions, the grounds for invalidating the transaction are proven, etc. This means that only evidence that can logically confirm or refute these circumstances should be admitted to the case.

According to the lawyer, in practice, lower courts encounter different styles of adjudication. "In most cases, courts comply with the requirements of the Code of Civil Procedure and, already at the stage of admitting evidence, help the parties to the proceedings not to get lost by refusing to accept material unrelated to the dispute. However, there are also cases where documents or other information are accepted into the case that have no logical connection with the subject matter of the evidence, either as a whole or in separate parts," notes the lawyer. In such cases, the case becomes overloaded with a large amount of material that has no added value for the proper resolution of the dispute. As a result, the court, which is already facing a heavy workload, is forced to spend time analyzing documents that are not relevant to the case.

"When the process turns into information storage rather than purposeful evaluation of facts, the efficiency of the process suffers, and as a result, the parties to the case are forced to wait unreasonably long," notes attorney D. Antanaitis.

Additional challenges arise when, at the request of one party, the court requests documents from the other party to the case. This instrument is particularly important in cases where one party is objectively unable to obtain relevant evidence held by the other party. However, practice shows that this procedural measure is sometimes misused.

There are situations where requests to obtain documents are based not on the desire to prove specific circumstances of a dispute, but on the desire to obtain information that could become the basis for a new dispute or allow access to data that could not be obtained by legal means. In such cases, if the court does not critically assess the connection between the request and the subject matter of the evidence, it may indirectly contribute to the unfair use of the process.

"The court should not become a means of intelligence gathering or testing hypothetical assumptions. Civil proceedings are intended to resolve legal disputes that have already arisen, not to create conditions for gathering information for possible future lawsuits," emphasizes D. Antanaitis.

This position is consistently upheld by higher courts. Appeal practice has clearly established that documents are only requested when they are directly related to the subject matter of a particular case. If a lawsuit is filed solely to verify whether rights may have been violated in general, such procedural conduct is considered flawed. The court is not an institution designed to collect data or verify assumptions—its purpose is to restore the violated legal balance and resolve the actual dispute.

This practice reminds us once again that the provisions of the Civil Procedure Code regarding the admissibility of evidence are not a mere formality. They are an essential procedural guarantee that protects the interests of both the court and the parties to the proceedings and ensures that the search for justice does not get lost in the maze of evidence.

There are things that should be as well known in law as two plus two is in mathematics. One of them is the participation of the victim in administrative proceedings – a necessary condition for a fair decision. In cases of administrative offenses, it is not enough to formally recognize the rights of the victim—they must be effectively enforced. The mere fact that a person is designated as a victim does not mean that they had a real opportunity to exercise their procedural rights. According to Domantas Velykis, a lawyer with the AVOCAD professional association of lawyers, court practice clearly states that if the victim does not have a real opportunity to participate in the proceedings, such a case cannot be considered lawful.

This position is consistently supported not only by the provisions of the Code of Administrative Offenses, but also by the interpretations of the Supreme Court of Lithuania. According to the lawyer, it is first necessary to understand the concept of a victim in administrative proceedings. The Code of Administrative Offenses establishes that a victim in an administrative offense case is a natural person who has suffered physical, material, or non-material damage as a result of an administrative offense, or a legal person who has suffered material or non-material damage as a result of an administrative offense. It should be noted that such a person who has suffered damage acquires the status of a victim during the investigation or examination of an administrative offence, i.e. is recognised as a victim by a protocol or decision of the authority investigating and examining the administrative offence, or by a court ruling.

According to Domantas Velykis, the aforementioned code establishes a very important list of victims' rights in the proceedings, which includes, among other things, the right to participate in the oral proceedings and give evidence, submit documents and items relevant to the case, to file motions and challenges, to appeal procedural decisions in accordance with the established procedure, etc.

It is on the basis of these rights that very important obligations of the court are enshrined in legal regulations. The practice of the Supreme Court of Lithuania has clarified that these norms oblige the court to inform the victim of the time and place of the hearing, as well as of the procedural decision taken, thus ensuring the victim's right to participate in the oral proceedings and to give evidence, to appeal against the decision taken in accordance with the established procedure, and to exercise other rights.

According to an AVOCAD lawyer, the European Court of Human Rights has also ruled on these obligations. Its established practice consistently emphasizes the principle of equality of the parties to the proceedings, which is an integral part of the broader concept of fair trial. This principle requires that each party should have an accessible and real opportunity to present its case in such a way that it is not placed at a significant disadvantage compared to its opponent. The principle of equality of the parties would be meaningless if one of the parties were not informed of the court hearing in such a way as to enable it to participate in the hearing and exercise its rights under national law, while the other party effectively exercises those rights.

Summarizing these legal provisions and court practice, lawyer Domantas Velykis reminds us that a necessary condition for examining an administrative offense case is the participation of the victim (if there is one in the case) in the court hearing, or at least that person's knowledge of the time and place of the court hearing.

"If the court violates these obligations and fails to notify the victim about the hearing of the case, i.e., if the case is heard without the victim's participation because he or she was not properly informed about the time and place of the hearing, there are significant legal consequences, which are clearly stated in the practice of the Supreme Court of Lithuania," notes the AVOCAD lawyer.

As an example, he cites a case in which a car driver who violated a "give way" road sign collided with a cyclist and caused minor injuries. The administrative offense investigation authority ruled that the cyclist was the victim, but the district court, when examining the driver's appeal, did not inform the victim about the hearing and examined the case without him being present. The Supreme Court found a fundamental violation of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which restricted the victim's right to be heard, and overturned the district court's decision, referring the case back for retrial.

A similar position was taken in another case where a driver hit a pedestrian and fled the scene of the accident. Although the pedestrian was recognized as the victim, the district court did not inform him of the hearing and terminated the administrative proceedings. In this case, the Supreme Court of Lithuania also found that the proper court proceedings had not been ensured, the victim's rights had been restricted, and the decision was unlawful, and therefore the case was remanded for retrial.

Thus, according to AVOCAD's lawyer, this practice clearly shows that in cases of administrative offenses, it is not enough to formally recognize a person as a victim. What is essential is the real opportunity to participate in the process, to be informed, to be heard, and to exercise the rights granted by law. Otherwise, the court decision risks being overturned as having been made in violation of fundamental principles of due process.

Attorney Jonas Zaronskis, founder and partner of the AVOCAD law firm, has been serving as presidentof the Cicero League of International Lawyers since the beginning of this year. This is a significant international recognition for both the attorney himself and the Lithuanian legal community.

AVOCAD became a member of this international organization back in 2014. From the very beginning of his membership, J. Zaronskis' involvement in the organization's activities has been consistent, active, and purposeful, going well beyond the limits of formal participation. Over the course of nearly a decade, he has contributed significantly to the growth of the league, the strengthening of relationships between members, joint professional initiatives, and the creation of an international community culture. In 2023, J. Zaronskis was elected to the CICERO board, where he continues to work and will continue in his new position as president.

One of the most important stages in the relationship between AVOCAD and CICERO was the selection process to become the sole representatives of Lithuania in the league. This process was distinguished by exceptionally high quality standards: the firm's activities were personally evaluated during a two-day audit by the then CICERO president Peter Munday, who observed internal work processes, team performance, and the quality of legal services provided. This experience clearly confirmed that quality is not just a declarative value in the CICERO league – it is a standard applied in everyday activities.

Today, this organization brings together more than 45 internationally recognized independent law firms, and its community of members is based on trust, professionalism, and personal connections. J. Zaronskis knows many of the league's members not only professionally, but also personally, which ensures fast, direct, and extremely high-quality legal assistance to clients around the world.

As president of CICERO, Jonas Zaronskis is responsible for the strategic direction of the league, coordinating the work of the board, strengthening cooperation among members, overseeing the selection process for new members, ensuring the highest professional and ethical standards, and representing the league in international professional forums. The president also plays an important role in strengthening the organization's visibility, reputation, and long-term value for its members.

“Being the sole representatives of CICERO in Lithuania and, after almost 10 years of membership and strong, consistently nurtured relations, accepting the position of president is a great honor and responsibility not only for me, but for our entire team,” notes the lawyer.

This appointment marks an important milestone not only in J. Zaronskis' professional career, but also in the development of AVOCAD as a whole. It reaffirms AVOCAD's consistent commitment to building sustainable international relationships, operating in the global legal market, and adhering to the highest professional standards.

The Cicero League of International Lawyers was established in 2013 in the United Kingdom as a network of independent international law firms, aiming to bring together high-quality legal service providers and promote their cooperation around the world.

The biggest changes often start with a small push. Sometimes it's the belief that you can do it. This first push may be a conversation with a psychologist who helps you understand your feelings. Sometimes it's a cozy family dinner where you feel safe and cared for for the first time. And sometimes it can be a club where you finally discover yourself: music, sports, creativity. Such things, which may seem small at first glance, can become a cornerstone of change in the life of a child or teenager from a difficult environment.

AVOCAD believes that every person, even if they are just starting to climb the ladder today, deserves support and a chance. That is why we choose to support not only those who have already reached the top, but also those who are still climbing—children and teenagers who most need to believe that they can do it," says Egidijus Langys, managing partner of the AVOCAD law firm.

According to him, this initiative has already become a beautiful Christmas tradition. "For many years, we have been allocating funds intended for business gifts to support those who need it most today. Every year, we see that this idea inspires other businesses to do the same. Sharing light is the best gift we can give," says the lawyer.

This year's gift budget is allocated to SOS Children's Villages Lithuania's "Gerumo krautuvėlė" (Kindness Store) – an initiative that allows everyone to contribute to the well-being of children and adolescents by giving them not a gift, but an opportunity.

According to Rasa Zaidovaitė, program manager at SOS Children's Villages Lithuania, every year this initiative gives teenagers the opportunity to attend clubs of their choice, receive psychological help, or experience their first lessons in independence. "Even insignificant support becomes a springboard that leads to big changes," says the representative.

Rasa Zaidovaitė cites the story of a girl named Ilona as an example. "She came to the day center when she was ten—calm, but full of anxiety. Having grown up in a violent environment, she had nothing she could call security. The day center became her haven—a place where she could bathe without fear for the first time, ask for help, and hear that she was worth more. Today, Ilona is 20, working and living independently. As she herself says, the opportunity to escape was her second birth," says the program manager of SOS Children's Villages Lithuania.

Another story is that of Jonas. "When he first appeared at the window of our center, he was six years old. He knocked on the glass and looked inside—curious, but quiet. His father had died, and his mother was raising three children on her own. They lacked everything—food, warmth, attention. Today, Jonas is fourteen. He attends clubs, works hard at school, and looks forward to Fridays, when he can choose a gift for his family at the children's day center "store" for doing good deeds. He says that this is his home. Here, people listen to him and believe in him. That belief is the essence of our mission," says Rasa.

According to her, it is precisely such stories that remind us why support is more than just financial assistance. It becomes an opportunity—a new starting point from which a life without fear begins.

The AVOCAD professional association of lawyers invites other businesses and individuals to join this initiative and visit the Kindness Store and together give someone a chance for a new start in life.

The AVOCAD law firm not only provides a wide range of legal services to businesses, but also actively supports social initiatives that promote education, the inclusion of children and young people, and conscious business responsibility.

We are attaching a video clip of this social campaign.

Social initiatives – video.