Veniamin Fyodorovich Yakovlev (, 12 February 1932 – 24 July 2018) was a Soviet and Russian legal scholar and judge. He was the first and only President of the High Court of Arbitration of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and later became the first President of the

High Court of Arbitration of Russia The High Court of Arbitration of the Russian Federation (also translated as the Supreme Court of Arbitration or the Higher Arbitration Court; Russian: ) was the court of final instance in commercial disputes in Russia from 1992 to 2014. Additio ...

. He also served as the Soviet

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

from 1989 to 1990 and as the legal adviser to both

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

and

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...

from 2005 till his death in 2018.

Early life and education

Yakovlev was born in the village of Yudino,

Ural Oblast Ural Oblast may refer to the following administrative units: * Ural Oblast (1868–1920) (1868–1920), in the Russian Empire * , in the Russian Republic * Ural Oblast (1923–1934), an ''oblast'' of Soviet Russia * Uralsk Oblast (1962–1992), t ...

(now known as the town of Petukhovo,

Kurgan Oblast Kurgan Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Kurgan. According to the 2021 Census, the population was 776,661, down from 910,807 recorded in the 2010 Census. History Formed by De ...

), on 12 February 1932, in a peasants family, who had moved to

Western Siberia Western Siberia or West Siberia ( rus, Западная Сибирь, p=ˈzapədnəjə sʲɪˈbʲirʲ; , ) is a region in North Asia. It is part of the wider region of Siberia that is mostly located in the Russia, Russian Federation, with a Sout ...

as part of a mass migration in the early 19th century. After completing his education at a school in

Ishim Ishim may refer to: *Ishim (river), a river in Kazakhstan and Russia *Ishim, Tyumen Oblast, a town in Tyumen Oblast, Russia *Ishim (angel), a rank of angels in the Jewish angelic hierarchy See also

*Ishimsky (disambiguation) *Ishimbay {{Disam ...

Tyumen Oblast Tyumen Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia. It is located in Western Siberia, and is administratively part of the Ural Federal District. The oblast has administrative jurisdiction over two autonomous ...

, Yakovlev enrolled in the Sverdlovsk Law Institute to study law.

Career

After receiving his law degree in 1953, Yakovlev taught civil law. From 1956 to 1960, he served as the Senior Assistant Prosecutor of Soviet Yakutia. During this time, he joined the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

in 1956 and remained a member until 1991. In 1963, Yakovlev returned to his alma mater as a senior lecturer. He received his doctorate in juridical science in 1973 by defending his thesis on "The Civil Law Method of Regulating Public Relations". From 1973 to 1987, he headed the department of civil law and concurrently served as prorector for academic affairs. In 1987, Yakovlev moved to Moscow and led several legal research institutes and commissions. In 1989 he was appointed Soviet

. The next year, Yakovlev became Chief State Arbitrator oft the Soviet Union, and after the position was abolished, he headed the Soviet Supreme Arbitration Court, serving as its first and only President until the end of 1991 During the 28th Congress of the CPSU, Yakovlev was elected a member of the Party's Central Committee. In April 1992, the

Congress of People's Deputies of Russia The Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian SFSR () and since 1992 Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation () was the supreme government institution in the Russian SFSR and in the Russian Federation from 16 May 1990 to 21 Se ...

appointed Yakovlev as the President of the newly established High Court of Arbitration. In 2003, Yakovlev was elected as a corresponding member of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...

. From 2006 to 2018, he headed the Department of Legal Regulation in Fuel and Energy Industry at

MGIMO Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (, also known as MGIMO University) is an higher education, institute of higher education located in Moscow, Russia. The institute is run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Russian ...

and the Department of the Legal Coverage of the Free Market Economy at

RANEPA The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) is a federal state-funded institution of higher education located in Moscow, Russia. With the merger of Academy of National Economy (ANE), Russian Academy ...

. Throughout his career, Yakovlev taught civil law,

business law Commercial law (or business law), which is also known by other names such as mercantile law or trade law depending on jurisdiction; is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and organizations engaged in ...

, and

civil procedure Civil procedure is the body of law that sets out the rules and regulations along with some standards that courts follow when adjudicating civil lawsuits (as opposed to procedures in criminal law matters). These rules govern how a lawsuit or ca ...

. Since 2005, Yakovlev has served as legal adviser to the

President of Russia The president of Russia, officially the president of the Russian Federation (), is the executive head of state of Russia. The president is the chair of the State Council (Russia), Federal State Council and the President of Russia#Commander-in-ch ...

. From 2005 to 2009, he concurrently served as the Presidential Representative to the Higher Judges' Qualifications Board.

Death and legacy

Yakovlev died in Moscow on 24 July 2018 and was interred at the Shirokorechenskoye Cemetery in

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg (, ; ), alternatively Romanization of Russian, romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( ; 1924–1991), is a city and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ural Federal District, Russia. The ci ...

. In 2022, in recognition of his contributions to the legal profession, the

Ural State Law University Veniamin Yakovlev, V. F. Yakovlev Ural State Law University (USLU, ), formerly the Ural State Law Academy (USLA, ) and the Sverdlovsk Law Institute (), is a public university, public, research university which includes law schools, colleges, facu ...

, which Yakovlev graduated from in 1953, was renamed in his honor. A year prior, a commemorative plaque was unveiled on the wall of the main building of USLU. In 2022, a

Russian Post Russian Post ( rus, Почта России, a=RU-Почта России.wav, ''Pochta Rossii'') is an List of legal entity types by country#Russia, Aktsionernoye Obschestvo (AO, private limited company)stamp featuring Yakovlev's image was issued. In 2023, a second commemorative plaque was installed on the apartment building in Central Moscow where Yakovlev resided from 2002 until his passing (12 Rochdelskaya Street,

Presnensky District Presnensky District (), commonly called Presnya (), is a district of Central Administrative Okrug of the federal city of Moscow, Russia. Population: The district is home to the Moscow Zoo, White House of Russia, Kudrinskaya Square Building, ...

). In the same year, a section of Shartashskaya Street in Yekaterinburg, which houses the Arbitration Court of

Sverdlovsk Oblast Sverdlovsk Oblast ( rus, Свердловская область, Sverdlovskaya oblastʹ, p=svʲɪrdˈlofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia located in the Ural Federal District. Its administrative center is the c ...

, has been renamed Veniamin Yakovlev Lane. In 2024, a monument to Veniamin Yakovlev was placed in the Ural State Law University's campus in Yekaterinburg.

Honors and awards

Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" () is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree 442. Until the re-establishment of the Order of St. Andrew in 1998, it was the highest order of ...

, IV class (2012) * Badge of the Council of Judges of the Russian Federation "For Service to Justice" (2012) * Russian Federation Presidential Certificate of Honour (2008) *

Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow The Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow () is an award of the Russian Orthodox Church, established in 1988. There are three classes. History The Order was created by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Pimen I, and the Holy Synod of 28 ...

, II class (2007) * Honorary Citizen of

(2007) *

, I class (2005) * Honorary Civil Order of the Golden Cross "For Service to Society" (2004) *

, II class (2002) *

, III class (1997) *

Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" The Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" () is a commemorative medal of the Russian Federation created to denote the 850th anniversary of the city of Moscow. It was established on 26 February 1997 by Presidential Decree � ...

(1997) *

Anatoly Koni Anatoly Fedorovich Koni (Russian: Анатолий Фёдорович Кони; 9 February 1844 – 17 September 1927) was a Russian jurist, judge, politician and writer. He was the most politically influential jurist of the late Russian Empire an ...

Medal (1996) *

Honoured Lawyer of Russia Honored Lawyer of the Russian Federation () is an Honorary title in Russia assigned to highly skilled lawyers for personal services: *in the formation of constitutional state and improving the national Russian laws in order to create equal legal c ...

(1982)

References

1932 births 2018 deaths Ural State Law University alumni People from Kurgan Oblast Russian judges Soviet jurists Russian legal scholars 21st-century jurists Ministers of justice of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Committee of the 28th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Advisers to the president of Russia Full Cavaliers of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" Honoured Lawyers of the Russian Federation Academic staff of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations Academic staff of Ural State Law University Academic staff of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration {{Russia-politician-stub