MOSCOW, December 1 - RAPSI. Russian courts are working all week long and above working hours in connection with the increased number of election complaints filed during the election campaign, Supreme Court Chairman Vyacheslav Lebedev told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com) before the opening of the International Legal Conference.

"We are working intensively, a plethora of cases involving the protection of election rights," Lebedev said.

According to Lebedev, during any election campaign court employees have to work on weekends since, pursuant to the law, courts have to make decisions in the elections-related cases, connected with holding, within the shortest time possible.

Under the Civil Procedure Code, an application filed before the election date (up to one day before the election date) must be examined and resolved within five days but no later than one day before the elections.

An application filed on the day preceding the election day, on the election day or on the day following the elections must be examined immediately.

If an application contains facts requiring additional examination it must be examined and resolved no later than within 10 days after the filing date.

The "Law and Modernization: Experience, Prospects, Trends" international legal Conference has opened in Moscow on Thursday. The two-day event is organized by the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI) jointly with RIA Novosti.

Over 200 lawyers are expected to take part in the event. Supreme Court Chairman Vyacheslav Lebedev and Audit Chamber Chairman Sergei Stepashin opened the conference.

The conference's primary objective is to create a forum to launch a dialogue between the many parties affected by the legal sector, such as lawyers, economists, scholars and businessmen. Among the invitees are leading legal experts from the Justice Ministry, international law firms, business associations and legal publications.

The conference will discuss pressing legal issues in the global social, economic and political context. Priority issues of discussion will include legal business development and management, legal practice models, government policy measures to modernize the legal system and the activities of legal market players.