Yevgen Poltenko serves as the executive director of the Legal Development Network, an association of community-based non-governmental organizations that promotes people-centered justice in Ukraine. He joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging to discuss the organization’s efforts to assist Ukrainians amidst the Russian invasion of their country. You can donate directly to the organization here.

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Episode Outline

  • 01:39 – An update on his current situation
  • 04:10 – What the Legal Development Network does and how it has responded to the Russian invasion
  • 08:20 – The most common legal issues the organization is dealing with now
  • 10:01 – How the organization has stepped up during the first weeks of the war
  • 11:39 – In some regards, the situation has stabilized, but it remains difficult to cross the border
  • 12:51 – How they connect with clients
  • 18:25 – Connecting people with local services
  • 20:54 – How legal professionals outside of Ukraine can help
  • 23:32 – How people can donate to the organization
  • 26:14 – The judicial and financial systems are still operating in non-occupied areas
  • 29:41 – How the war has already changed Ukraine and beginning to think about what’s next
Photo of Alec Downing Alec Downing

Alec is an intern on LexBlog’s publishing team where he creates content for the company’s various digital platforms. A former radio news anchor, Alec brings both a background in journalism and a passion for law. His writing has been published in The Seattle…

Alec is an intern on LexBlog’s publishing team where he creates content for the company’s various digital platforms. A former radio news anchor, Alec brings both a background in journalism and a passion for law. His writing has been published in The Seattle Times and Crosscut.