Moscow Law Society

The incentive for the formation of the Moscow Law Society was the publication in 1862 of the “Fundamental Provisions for the Transformation of the Judiciary in Russia” - the most important document of the envisaged Judicial Reform . Although the first meeting took place on January 20, 1863, the beginning of the activity is considered to be the date of approval by the Minister of Education of the Charter of the company - February 17, 1865. During this period, meetings chaired by S.I. Barshev (first in his apartment; then in the apartment of I.I. Musin-Pushkin, then in the Chertkov library and, finally, in the premises of a Moscow university) were held several times a month. In the fall of 1864, a wish was expressed that the created society should be listed at the university. The purpose of the company was declared: "theoretical and practical development of law and the dissemination of legal information."

At meetings of the company at the end of 1865, the question of their own periodical began to be raised. Its presence was necessary both for preserving the minutes of the meetings and for implementing one of the goals of the Company - the dissemination of legal information among the population. Yuridicheskaya Gazeta was established, which was published twice a month for one year (twenty-four issues in total) - from July 1, 1866 to June 15, 1867. The editor of the newspaper was the chairman of the Society, V. N. Leshkov, and S. S. Shaykevich became the most active employee. Since 1867, the journal Legal Herald began to be published.

Initially, a significant place in the activities of society was occupied by the discussion and resolution of individual practical legal issues. But after a few years, "the zeal of lawyers to discuss theoretical and practical issues of law quickly began to subside ..."; society needed a new business that could attract the active forces of society. And in 1872 S.I. Barshev put forward the idea of ​​organizing a congress of Russian lawyers, in 1873 supported by the government. And in 1875 the first congress of Russian lawyers was held.

S. A. Muromtsev noted that 1879 was a turning point in the life of the Moscow Law Society; its members "one in front of the other are in a hurry to carry the Society into the field of issues of concern to modern legal science or the social life of the West." In 1879-1880, reports began to be submitted to the discussion of the Company, the conclusions of which contain indications of the need for reforms in the current legislation. At the annual meeting on March 5, 1879, a proposal was made "to form a systematic development of issues of civil and criminal law in the Company" - the "Special Commission for the development of the correct series of essays on civil and criminal law" was created; Thus, society moved on to the theoretical and practical development of law - state, international and financial. One of the practical developments of this time was the work on railway legislation, initiated by the chairman of the Special High Commission for the study of railway business in Russia, Count E.T. Baranov . In 1881-1882, the Company also worked on a draft of the main provisions of the factory charter.

Chairs

• S. I. Barshev (1863)
• V. N. Leshkov (1863-1868 and 1869-1880) ^[1]
• N.V. Kalachov (1868-1869)
• S. A. Muromtsev (1880-1899)

Secretaries

• E. N. Sumbul (1863-1867)
• I.A. Eropkin (1867-1869)
• A. M. Falkovsky (1869-1876)
• P.L. Karasevich (1876-1878)
• K. D. Antsiferov (1878-1879)
• V.A. Goltsev (1879-1880)
• G.A. Dzhanshiev (1880-1884)
• D.A.Drill (1884-1886)
• G. B. Iollos (1886-1888)

Treasurers

• E.P. Patients (1864-1870)
• M.A. Schilling (1870-1888)

Many leading scientists took part in the work of the Moscow Law Society, such as: I. M. Ostroglazov , A. I. Chuprov — Chairman of the Statistical Division of the Society (since 1883), V. A. Legonin , A. S. Alekseev , A. K Wulfert , V. M. Przhevalsky,. The annual report for 1877–78 noted that “almost all professors of the law faculty are full members of the Society”, and the following year it was indicated that almost all undergraduates of the faculty are on the list of members.

At the beginning of 1866, there were 117 full members in society. At the annual meeting on February 23, 1881, it was indicated that the Moscow Law Society consists of 300 members, of which “about 40 are nonresident”. In 1882, in the opinion of M. A. Sablin and with the active participation of V. I. Orlov , a statistical department was established under society, and many Zemstvo statisticians became members of it.

In 1899, the society, on the proposal of the Minister of Education, N. P. Bogolepov , was closed; the reason was the speech delivered on behalf of the Society by its chairman S. A. Muromtsev at the Pushkin festival in Moscow.

In 2005, it was decided to revive the Moscow Law Society, chaired by Konstantin Konstantinovich Sarkisov.

• Legal Societies // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Muromtsev S.A. Moscow Law Society for the first 25th anniversary of its existence (1863–88) // S. Muromtsev. Articles and speeches. - Vol. II. - M., 1910.

• Tulskaya S.A. Moscow Law Society (1865-1899). From the history of the development of law and legal science in Russia in the second half of the 19th century. - M .: Prometheus, 2011.