MOSCOW, December 1 - RAPSI. Law department certification at Russian universities is a breakthrough for the country's legal system, as it may improve legal education and boost the quality of legal school alumni, Audit Chamber Chairman Sergei Stepashin said at the International Legal Conference organized by the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com) and RIA Novosti on Thursday.

"Now people will clearly see which university they are going to enter and which legal education they will receive. This is a great breakthrough for our legal system," Stepashin said.

Stepashin added that all law departments have undergone certification. A list of Russia's top universities offering a legal education was compiled as a result.

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.