Annotation

This article examines the public-law function of the legal profession within the framework of the contemporary rule-of-law state. The author advances the thesis that the advocacy, while operating outside the state apparatus, inherently serves a public function, as it safeguards not only the private interests of clients but also the public interest in upholding legality, ensuring legal order, and guaranteeing access to justice. The analysis encompasses the historical and doctrinal foundations of the division between public and private law, as well as the normative underpinnings of the attorney's public role as established in the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the Federal Law “On Advocacy and the Legal Profession in the Russian Federation”. Specific emphasis is placed on judicial representation, the reinforcement of the rule of law, and the provision of pro bono legal services as principal modalities for fulfilling the public-law mandate of the legal profession. The author critiques scholarly positions that narrowly confine the attorney's role to client representation, arguing instead for a recognition of the profession's systemic role in balancing private and public interests within the legal order.