Judicial reform is one of the most significant components of the legal reform initiated in this country. It includes enhancement of the legislative basis for the organization and work of judicial institutions, ensuring that judicial authorities are independent, unprejudiced and accessible, and implementation of international standards of human rights judicial protection in the national legislation.

The society's requirements to the administration of justice are getting higher and higher.

Judicial power formation and a new level of quality in the administration of justice depend to a great extent of the professional and moral qualities of the judge, who is a key figure in the administration of justice. According to Article 1 of the Ukrainian law On the Status of Judges, professional judges represent the vehicle of justice and administer justice independently from the legislative and executive authorities. This very fact makes them different from any other professionals. Judges have a unique legal status in the society. Each judge represents the judicial power through his / her work. Work of the judge is of highest social significance because it ensures the supremacy of law,justice and protection of human rights and freedoms, constitutional order and public interests. Judges are charismatic and wise personalities.

The experience of France, the Netherlands, Spain and other democratic countries in Europe and all around the world confirms that implementation of a judicial reform and strengthening the status of the judicial power in the state is impossible without professional training of judges in a specialized state educational institution for judges. Such educational establishments exist in most European countries including Portugal, Germany and other countries. The first one was created in France.

Similar principles of organization and training of future judges form the basis for establishing judicial educational institutions in the post-socialist countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Albania, Poland, Moldova. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, etc. They were created with an active support of the Council of Europe. Judicial educational establishments exist in most countries of the world. They are tasked by the state to prepare professional judges.

The Academy of Judges of Ukraine was created following the international model in the course of the judicial reform. It is one of the youngest judicial educational establishments both in Europe and in the world. However, during the 2 years of its existence it managed to create its positive image by conducting professional development of judges, employees of court administrations of general jurisdiction courts and the State Judicial Administration in Kyiv and its 7 regional branches located in Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Lviv, Odessa, Sevastopol, Kharkiv and Chernivtsy. In the nearest future the Academy of Judges of Ukraine will begin to prepare potential judges and expand its work in the field of methodology and research for the benefit of the courts of general jurisdiction and the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.

Understanding of the necessity to create the Academy of Judges of Ukraine was reflected in the Ukrainian law On the Judicial System of Ukraine. Article 129 of this law acknowledges the necessity of work of the Judicial Academy that together with others has to prepare potential judges among individuals with higher education in the field of law and to carry out professional development of judges and employees of court administrations. Academy of Judges is needed not only to bring the judicial education and professional development as close as possible to the practical administration of justice but also to ensure that the judiciary and judicial self-government institutions have a decisive influence on the content, methodology and organization of education.

The system of judicial education implemented in the Academy gives an opportunity to address a number of key issues concerning the formation of the judiciary. In particular, it allows to select candidates of high moral standing and professionalism through a competition and to deepen their knowledge for further judicial work. Besides, it minimizes the risk of professionally and morally unprepared individuals' getting in the ranks of the judiciary. It also creates a pattern of behaviour of judges as carriers of the judicial power in the state and highly empowered individuals during the administration of justice. Creation of such a pattern should diminish a risk of unsubstantiated granting of judges' positions for life by the Supreme Council of Ukraine.

Introduction of such a system allows the state to supervise and control the behaviour of a candidate and then a newly appointed judge over a period of time and to make a real influence on the judge's way of thinking and not to stay away from the process.

The Academy of Judges of Ukraine is a truly educational, academic and methodology centre unlike anything else that existed in Ukraine until now.