The need for law education is indispensable in the individual and, as a consequence, social dimension. Its early initiation will “internalize” patterns of behaviour and response which will contribute to conscious functioning in society, and, as a result, building of a society of law. Therefore, one of the goals of the presented text is to indicate the fact that ignorantia iuris nocet. Such a conceptualization is preventive, prophylactic, and inhibitory. First and foremost, the purpose of addressing the issue is to show the need to raise legal awareness that builds legal culture of society, and improves the quality of life. The analysis of the results of the research conducted among schoolchildren aged 15-16 indicates that legal awareness of the young generation differentiates the frequency of behaviours contrary to social and legal standards-the higher legal awareness of young people is, the lower the level of particular problem behaviours in this group is. The paper also outlines recommendations on solutions that can be used to create future prevention programs aimed at building an aware information society and the high legal culture of its members.

Legal education as an integral part of the functional responsibilities of specialists of the free legal aid system – practical aspects of implementation

The article describes the administrative structure of the units of the free legal aid system in Ukraine, which perform the function of legal education. The tasks, responsibilities and powers of legal education units at each of the institutional levels of the free legal aid system are considered and analyzed in detail, as well as the territorial division of jurisdiction of such units. The author analyzed the relationship, the degree of subordination and general coordination of actions between units of different levels of the structure. The publication also identifies and substantiates an important normatively enshrined and actually implemented priority given to legal education activities in the system of free legal aid in Ukraine. The publication describes the experience of legal education activities by other structural units of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, as well as statistics on the awareness of residents of the country about the right to receive free legal aid as part of the formation of legal awareness. The concept of legal education campaigns conducted by the system of free legal aid with the separation of their basic features and methods of implementation is considered in detail.

Significant changes in the field of education observed in recent years under the influence of economic, political and social processes, as well as Ukraine’s entry into the global, in particular European, educational space, have become the basis for the implementation of educational reforms at all levels – from preschool to adult education. That is why there is an urgent need for professionals in various fields to have a high level of legal culture, because ignorance of the law does not absolve one from responsibility. In addition, the goal of all reform processes in our country is to achieve compliance with the European architecture in the relevant fields – legal, educational, medical, etc. Regulations are the main means of regulating and implementing legal policy in the field of education. Formation of legal culture of all participants in the educational process is a guarantee of the rule of law, a guarantee of fostering respect for the law and the state as a guarantor of law and order in the exercise of the right to education by every citizen. Accordingly, the legal competence of students, regardless of their field of study, is no longer just a requirement of modern society, but also a basic need of every person. The category of «legal culture» is one of the main characteristics of the country’s legal system, which helps to determine the quality of the legal life of society. The level of legal knowledge is an indicator that reveals the quality of the legal life of a higher education student, which allows the latter to evaluate both his or her own actions and/or inaction and the actions of other members of society and to distinguish legal relations in different branches of law. Structural components aimed at improving the level of legal culture of higher education students can be divided into informative components (regulatory framework of a higher education institution, charter, collective agreement, internal regulations, provisions and procedures governing the educational process, etc.), an evaluative component is the direct attitude of a higher education student to law in general (teaching general legal disciplines to understand the importance of legal knowledge and skills) and an organizational component is the activities of research and teaching staff. The issue of forming legal culture in higher education students should be prioritized during higher education, since knowledge of and compliance with the rules of law at the present stage of European development is unconditional.