Ukrainian lawyer secures SQE scholarship in vlogging comp

Nazarii Pylypchuk ‘happy and grateful’ after landing BARBRI award

A Ukrainian lawyer has been awarded an SQE scholarship from BARBRI for his vlog exploring the role of emotional intelligence in the legal profession.

Nazarii Pylypchuk video tackled the issue from both a personal and professional standpoint, exploring why soft skills like empathy, self-awareness and relationship-building are essential in today’s legal world.

Speaking to Legal Cheek, Pylypchuk said he felt “happy and grateful” for the opportunity. “This scholarship will significantly reduce the financial burden on my path toward becoming a solicitor and bring me closer to my goal,” he said.

Having graduated from law school in Ukraine in 2021, Pylypchuk now works as a senior associate specialising in M&A, joint ventures and venture capital. He’s also a Ukrainian advocate, qualified to represent clients in complex court cases and criminal law matters. His journey in law began early — he secured an internship with a major Ukrainian law firm while still in his second year of university.

Looking ahead, Pylypchuk hopes to qualify as a solicitor of England and Wales via the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), enhancing his ability to serve clients internationally. He believes that, once the Russian war against Ukraine ends, the country will become a hub for investment and dealmaking. “I anticipate significant investments in the restoration of Ukraine. This is likely to result in many M&A transactions, and it is here that I believe my dual qualification will yield great returns,” he explained.

The scholarship was awarded as part of BARBRI’s latest competition, which invited aspiring solicitors to reflect on the role of emotional intelligence in legal practice through a video submission. Entrants also attended Legal Cheek’s recent event, ‘Beyond the law firm: Why qualifying as an in-house lawyer might be right for you’.

Joanne White, senior tutor at BARBRI and one of this year’s judges in the competition, said:

“It has been a pleasure for BARBRI to collaborate with Legal Cheek on our BARBRI x Legal Cheek Video Competition scholarship prize. This prize continues to play an important role in BARBRI’s mission to enable students to demonstrate ambition and reach their potential within the legal profession. As always, the standard was high. In the end, Nazarii’s ability to demonstrate the extent to which emotional intelligence should play a role in legal practice, by analysing the topic from both a professional and personal standpoint, just edged the other entries.”

To find out more about how to prepare for qualifying via the SQE, check out BARBRI’s website.