The digital age imposes its own laws, and jurisprudence must keep pace with the relentless technological progress and transformation of economic relations. At a global level, well-balanced and predictive legal regulation of the digital environment becomes a significant competitive advantage for states, ensuring investment inflow and economic growth stability. In the context of Russia, with the State Duma's intensive work on adopting new (and often raw) laws that regulate relations in the digital space, it is challenging for not only entrepreneurs who are already conducting or planning to engage in online business but also for lawyers who already have experience in advising and protecting their clients' rights. Undoubtedly, for individual lawyers and specific legal firms, understanding the legal nuances of relations in the digital environment becomes the key to their success and growth in contemporary conditions.
The complexity in understanding digital law lies in the fact that, due to the global nature of the Internet, relationships in the network are not governed by a single national legislation, especially now, when there is a noticeable trend towards the balkanization and sovereignty of the global Internet. Many services and websites, including those created in Russia, are targeted not only at Russian users but also at other markets, where entirely different rules may apply. In addition to the laws of a specific country, 'soft law' standards, UN recommendations, and case law from the ECHR and the European Court of Justice are also applicable. Furthermore, in some cases, lawyers need to know and understand how GDPR, DMCA, or CalOPPA operates.
In recent years, the Russian government has been actively implementing a whole range of initiatives aimed at 'reconciling' jurisprudence and new technologies and developing balanced legal regulation for digital advancement, preparing lawyers for work in the digital age. Thus, in 2017, a program was adopted The "Digital Economy" at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum in 2018, Dmitry Medvedev on plans to start training Russian lawyers under a program for the development of the digital economy in 2019, however, apart from loud statements, such work has not yet begun.
At the same time, in March 2019, a adopted.
The law, of course, significantly narrows the concept of "digital rights" compared to the international , but nonetheless lays the foundation for civil law relations regarding the circulation of digital assets.
Unfortunately, most lawyers still do not possess adequate knowledge in the digital sphere, viewing key new technologies such as blockchain and big data as something distant from them and their everyday work. Such an attitude is already leading to negative consequences for some members of the legal community and society as a whole. Some are losing clients, suffering financial losses, and the "digital ignorance" of lawyers endowed with authority, especially those representing the interests of society and Themis, leads to significant distressing consequences in the form of errors in law enforcement. Indeed, often even judges, especially those of first instance in remote regions, are limited to references about the absence of special regulation and either simply ignore new technologies or outright recognize them as banned. For example, this happened in the notorious of blocking cryptocurrency websites, where, based on the prosecution's claim, information about cryptocurrencies was recognized as prohibited in Russia. And although in this case, lawyers from the Digital Rights Center managed to uphold the legality of cryptocurrency websites and recover costs from the prosecution for the error made, it took many years to reach the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.
In such conditions, it is evident that knowledge of cyber law—the field that combines elements of public and private law, with particular expertise in criminal proceedings related to cybercrime and the technical specifics of working with networks, computers, and new technologies—becomes increasingly in demand and necessary for every lawyer. At the same time, few master's programs in IP & IT are currently available for novices in law. Perhaps the only university in the country offering any insight into digital law is the Higher School of Economics, but even there, it is within a master's program for those receiving legal education for the first time. There's also MSU, which has been designated as the National Center for Digital Economy. Recently, it established a Laboratory of Legal Informatics and Cybernetics. However, comprehensive programs for lawyers that provide extensive knowledge of modern cyber law are still absent, and opportunities for established lawyers to enhance their understanding of cyber law are virtually nonexistent.
To rectify this disheartening situation and facilitate the learning of the nuances of cyber law for established lawyers, we have organized a unique program— Cyber Law School consists of a 5-day intensive immersion in digital law with 7 different modules. This comprehensive qualification enhancement course from leading specialists in their field will allow already established lawyers to quickly delve into cyber law and gain deep knowledge on issues of international and domestic legislation, as well as the evolving application practices in the following areas:
- Intermediaries & ISP: Features of the activities of information intermediaries (ISPs, hosts, search engines, social networks, aggregators, etc.)
- IP & Copyright & Domains: Intellectual rights on the Internet. Licensing of content and software. Specifics of legal protection of copyright and patent rights, trademarks, and domain names.
- Privacy & Security: Protection of honor, dignity, and business reputation online. Protection of privacy and personal data. Privacy. Compliance with data storage and processing requirements in accordance with Federal Law 152-FZ and GDPR.
- Digital trial & LegalTech: Digital evidence. Electronic documents and digital signatures. Electronic court proceedings. Legaltech tools to assist lawyers. Software, bots, and CRM instead of assistants.
- Digital assets & crypto: Digital money and digital assets. Smart contracts. Features of legal relationships when using blockchain. Cryptocurrencies and tokens. Requirements for conducting ICOs and STOs.
- Criminal defense & Forensic: Features of handling criminal cases related to the Internet. Collection of digital evidence. Computer forensics.
- ECHR & International courts: Features of preparing complaints for the European Court of Human Rights. Practice of the ECtHR and the Court of Justice of the EU in cases related to the Internet.
In the framework of Cyber law school our trainers from academia and business will provide detailed insights into the application of new norms in Russian law. Additionally, participants will gain unique practical skills: leading practicing lawyers will not only share their experiences with participants but will also analyze real business cases in detail, including those related to compliance and the application of administrative enforcement measures for non-fulfillment of obligations and violations of regulatory restrictions in the digital environment, and will teach a risk-oriented approach to aligning company activities with the current and quite complex legislation.
Moreover, during the course, lawyers will learn to utilize modern technological solutions that greatly simplify their work, as well as acquire invaluable skills in various aspects of digital law in criminal, civil, and international courts.
This comprehensive approach makes our Cyber law school indispensable for all members of the legal community interested in digital law, particularly for in-house lawyers, attorneys, private practitioners, and consulting specialists.
In addition to valuable knowledge gained at the end of the course, everyone who completes the full training will receive a state-issued certificate of qualification enhancement in the field of digital law, as well as the opportunity to join the exclusive “Cyber Lawyers Club,” where they are always welcome to share experiences and available resources, and assist in complex legal situations. Don't miss the unique chance to become a cyber lawyer: enhance your knowledge in digital law, strengthen your practical legal skills in the digital field, and ensure your success in the era of new technologies.
To learn more about Cyber Law School and to apply for participation, please visit our
Source: habr.com
