How unscrupulous lawyers make money on the military and what to do if they came across fraudsters

Authors:

Anna Karachevskayalawyer, community manager Pro Bono NGO “Principle”

Irina Pokoralawyer lawyers Pro Bono, lawyer

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During the three years of a full -scale war, the demand for legal services among the military has grown extremely, social networks and billboards are abundant with advertising of military lawyers. At the same time, law enforcement agencies are increasingly reporting fraud. There may be many legal problems during the service: payments, VLK, dismissal – all these processes are very wrapped, so the military and their relatives are often seeking support from lawyers because of misunderstandings of legal nuances, stress and uncertainty. But often in such a situation you can come across unscrupulous specialists. As a military and their families, we will not be a victim of fraudsters in the material.

Here are some cases that have become public in recent times. In August 2025, the case of a lawyer-Shakhrai, who in Lviv under the guise of help made money on families of dead and missing military. Another story is recently the father of a man with a severe asthma, who was recognized as suitable for service, has encountered an unscrupulous lawyer. He guaranteed his son’s dismissal for 80 thousand UAH and refused to contact the Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of the Military.

Military and their families who seek legal assistance to the “principle” are also faced with similar cases:

“I have a serious injury, not paid combat (additional reward) in half a year. I hired a lawyer who did nothing,” – The request we received from the military.

“I have to inform you that I already have a contract for legal services, but here as of now got more than for money”– a military man who appealed to us.

Red flags in interaction with a lawyer or lawyer: how to recognize scammers

• Phone calls, aggressive and obsessive advertising. A widespread scheme of work of fractures is to call and to “catch” potential customers on their own. Under the guise of law firms, whole call centers can be disguised.
• Negative reviews of a company or lawyer. Before working with a lawyer, you should review the reviews of his work. You have to alert you to comments such as “they took money and disappeared”, “do not answer calls”, “promised to do everything turnkey, but for half a year nothing is happening.” It is better to consult lawyers for recommendations from acquaintances.
• Refusal of written registration of relationships. Any long-term cooperation with a lawyer or lawyer must be drawn up with a written agreement with clearly stated conditions, obligations of the parties, the cost of services and terms of performance. It is possible to check if a person is a current lawyer in the Unified State Register of Advocates of Ukraine.
• Unclear payment. Lawyers and lawyers can form prices for their services themselves, the legislation does not set a normative framework. Alarm signals can be if a lawyer:It cannot name at least the approximate cost of its services (per hour of work, prepared procedural document, support of the case in court), evades specific answers about the price or says “it all depends on the situation”.

  It requires to pay the entire amount at once, especially when it comes to: amounts of 30-50 thousand UAH, payment before the conclusion of the cooperation agreement, and if it is a casual person from the Internet.

  It overstates the price for simple procedures, for example, asks several thousand hryvnias for the preparation of reports, the samples of which are freely available. You can use samples on the sites below, and to the lawyer to contact non -standard situations or the need to correctly fill in the report: website of the MOU “Care” in the section “Assistance with Reports”, legal navigator of “principle”, site of NGO “Law Hundred”. fighters. Before agreeing on payment, specify what specifically the amount is. It may turn out that a small amount of 10% will turn into hundreds of thousands of hryvnias.

  Takes payment through third parties. The request to “transfer money to the assistant”, “pay through a colleague” or the use of false accounts are classic signs of fraud. Legal legal services are always paid directly by the Contractor for official details.

• There is no clear work plan. If instead of answers to your questions, you are told, “You will not understand it because you are not a lawyer” is a bad signal. The lawyer should explain the complex things in a clear language, what is the legal problem, whether it can be solved, what ways and what risks are, as well as to give the right to choose, in what way to act.Scams often talk about their “ties in the right places”, the opportunity to “negotiate with the right people”, “accelerate processes through acquaintances.” If this is the first way that the lawyer is trying to solve the problem, most likely, you have come across a fraud.
• Guarantee of the result. You may be convinced that with this lawyer you will be able to get money or get off from service, but such promises are contrary to the rules of lawyer’s ethics. A lawyer can really, in view of previous experience or jurisprudence, evaluate the chances of success, but the undeniable guarantee of the result is a bad signal.
• Delayed communication or its complete absence. Effective cooperation with a lawyer or lawyer involves informing the client about the progress of the case (what documents he prepared, where he sent them, which the answer received). Turnkey promises, especially if difficult and multi -stage, can be resolved that after payment, the lawyer will stop going.

What to do if they came across fraudsters It is difficult to hold the lawyers and pay their money paid to them. However, if you realized that you have been cheated, we advise you:

• gather evidence of interaction with fraudsters: scripts of correspondence, receipts for payment of services, etc.;
• contact law enforcement agencies (police, prosecutor’s office) and report fraud, as well as contact the Council of Advocates of Ukraine;
• Inform other potential victims about fraud: leave feedback on the forums, give public public on social networks.

Where to military and their families seek quality and proven legal assistance In Ukraine, there are proven organizations that fully or partially advise and accompany the military. These are public service providers and public organizations:

• the system of providing free legal aid;
• regional centers for providing services to combatants and/or houses of a warrior in a particular region;
• human rights center for the principle of servicemen;
• NGO “Legal Hundred”;
• Veteran Hub.

How to a military and their families to cooperate with a lawyer/lawy the atom is as effective as possible:

• Notify the truthful information. Hiding facts from his lawyer can hurt the case. For example, if a lawyer begins a lawsuit on the demand for a military man who has not reported that due to a disciplinary misconduct, he was charged – the chances of success are low.
• To have pre -prepared information and documents in the case. The military and their relatives should know the place of service, position, information about the commander (more about it in the legal navigator). It is also worth photographed, scanning and stored in good quality copy of all the documents that the military receives or submits.
• Coordinate an appeal to a lawyer with relatives. If you seek legal assistance for your husband or son, make sure he knows and does not deny it. From our practice, sometimes the military themselves oppose, because they do not want to spoil relationships with command.
• Communicate with a lawyer in a timely manner. The military may not always be in touch and quickly provide information to the lawyer. However, if possible, we advise you to transfer the documents in the case as promptly, as some processes (such as pre -trial or judicial appeal) have a limited time. It is also important to report in advance about the intention to submit any documents, initiate processes yourself or change a lawyer.
• Interested in the proper benefits and guarantees. Many legal problems in the military arise because they do not know what they are entitled. As a result, when they are denied certain guarantees, they cannot recognize it. The opportunity to clearly explain the lawyer what happened and what you would like to achieve (for example: “I have submitted a report on the direction of the VLK, but some of it ignores it”, “My condition is getting worse, I cannot perform combat missions, so I need to get to the inspection as soon as possible”) – this is the first condition that you can solve your problem.

A column is a material that reflects the author’s point of view. The text of the column does not claim the objectivity and comprehensive coverage of the topic that rises in it. The editorial board of “Ukrainian Truth” is not responsible for the accuracy and interpretation of the information provided and plays only the role of the carrier. The point of view of the UP editorial board may not coincide with the point of view of the author of the column.