Koziakov & Partners believes that a strong legal profession depends on strong institutions, transparent procedures, and professional standards that earn public trust. This approach is reflected in the public and professional work of Sergii Koziakov, Ph.D. in Law, whose career combines private legal practice with sustained contribution to Ukraine’s justice system and legal community.
From 2014 to 2019, Sergii Koziakov served as Chairman of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine (HQCJ). During this period, the Commission implemented key tasks of the Justice Sector Reform Strategy for 2015–2020 and became the driving force behind large-scale, merit-based judicial selection and evaluation processes. Under his leadership and with his direct participation, the HQCJ completed, among other milestones: review of approximately 14,000 disciplinary complaints (2015-2016); the first open competition to the new Supreme Court (2016-2017) and the second open competition (2018-2019); qualification evaluation of approximately 3,200 judges; and open competitions to the High Anti-Corruption Court and its Appeals Chamber (2018-2019), alongside other nationwide selection procedures.
A defining feature of this work was the introduction of integrity-focused and transparency-driven tools that were new for Ukraine’s judicial HR system. These included publication of judicial and candidate dossiers (approximately 1.1 million pages), online broadcasting of interviews, psychological testing, use of NABU and NACP materials for integrity assessment, publication of integrity and family ties declarations, and structured participation of civil society and international experts in competition procedures.
Beyond the HQCJ, Sergii Koziakov has contributed to the development of Ukraine’s legal framework for years through legislative and policy work on judicial reform and related institutions, including participation in expert and reform commissions and work on drafts of key laws and procedural codes that support the modernisation of the judiciary and access to justice.
He has also played an active role within the Ukrainian Bar Association, including work on professional ethics and standards. In particular, he served as Chairman of the Arbitration Court and Ethics Commission of the Ukrainian Bar Association, contributing to the development of responsible professional conduct and credibility of the legal profession.
Through these efforts – combining institutional leadership, transparency mechanisms, and professional ethics – Sergii Koziakov has contributed to strengthening legal culture in Ukraine and advancing the rule of law as a practical, functioning standard rather than a declaration.
