Georgian Young Lawyers' Association


Georgia Young Lawyers' Association or GYLA is a Georgian lawyers' association created in 1994 with the aim of providing human rights and legal support. In April 2025, GYLA was awarded the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Democracy Defender Award for its support for human rights and the rule of law.
WWW gyla.ge𝕏 gyla_csoFB GYLA.geYT gylasaiaIG alternative.lawyersIN gyla-eng

Creation and aims

In 1988, as the Soviet Union started to dissolve, Georgian lawyers wishing to practice law rather than serving repressive aims of the state started to discuss coordinating as a group. In 1994, ninety lawyers met in the Tbilisi Schoolchildren's Palace and established the Georgia Young Lawyers' Association.
GYLA's aims include promoting the rule of law and contributing to awareness and protection of human rights in Georgia. GYLA aims to encourage ethical standards among lawyers.

Leadership and structure

, Nona Kurdovanidze was the Chair of GYLA., GYLA had 800 members and employed 100 staff.

Activities

GYLA provides free legal consultations, provides legal representation, promotes legal reform, and monitors government activities and elections. It has legal aid centres in Tbilisi and seven other towns., GYLA provided free consultations to about 50,000 people annually.
GYLA specialises in legal help in relation to human rights violations by government or other administrative institutions, the rights of minorities and prisoners' rights. In 2010 in the GYLA Kutaisi branch, GYLA member Nana Chapidze ran a project on juvenile delinquency, for which she stated that procedures and norms were not appropriate for minors, and that there was a lack of programs for rehabilitation.
The Kutaisi GYLA branch carried out a women's rights training, including simulations of court trials and legislative debates.
GYLA has taken actions in the Constitutional Court of Georgia and the European Court of Human Rights. According to GYLA, as of 2025, eight of the 30 lawsuits submitted to the Constitutional Court were successful, and eight of the 135 lawsuits submitted to the ECHR were successful, while most remained open.
GYLA created a legal defence centre against violation of journalists' rights.

Awards

In April 2025, GYLA was awarded the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Democracy Defender Award by eight OSCE member states for its "efforts to protect democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and due process for Georgians since 1994". British government Minister Stephen Doughty stated that GYLA had provided "essential support" to human rights activists and non-governmental organisations during the democratic backsliding, including repression, during the 2024–2025 Georgian political crisis.