Vol. 8 No. 06 (2026): Volume 08 Issue 06

This article examines the role of corporate legal departments in the system of internal control over the procurement process of companies in the Republic of Uzbekistan and in the oversight of the activities of procurement units. Drawing on a comparative legal analysis of current national legislation and the legislation of CIS member states and of countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as the United States; of international conventions and instruments of the UN, the EU, the OECD, the Council of Europe, the African Union, the World Bank, the IFC, the IMF, the EBRD, and the ADB; and of the ISO 37001 and ISO 20400 standards, the article develops a functional model of the legal department's involvement in procurement control and in the procurement process within the logic of the "three lines of defense." More than ten scholarly, methodological, organizational-legal, and applied problems are examined in detail, and ways of resolving them are proposed. The conclusions are supported by the case law of international and national courts and by the works of more than one hundred scholars and experts from eight regions of the world.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative technological force reshaping legal institutions, judicial administration, legal research, adjudication support systems, and regulatory governance. Courts across jurisdictions increasingly employ AI-enabled tools to enhance efficiency, reduce case backlogs, improve legal analytics, and facilitate access to justice. However, the integration of AI into legal processes has generated complex concerns relating to transparency, accountability, privacy, algorithmic bias, judicial independence, evidentiary reliability, and constitutional protections. This research and review article critically examines the evolving legal and constitutional frameworks governing AI regulation within the legal sector, with particular emphasis on judicial systems and legal decision-making. Drawing exclusively upon the provided references, the study synthesizes contemporary developments, analyzes emerging jurisprudential challenges, and evaluates regulatory responses adopted by courts and policymakers. The paper identifies significant tensions between technological innovation and foundational legal principles such as due process, fairness, natural justice, and constitutional rights. Findings reveal that while AI possesses substantial potential to improve legal administration, inadequate regulatory safeguards may compromise judicial legitimacy and public trust. The study concludes that a balanced regulatory architecture emphasizing human oversight, algorithmic transparency, ethical accountability, and constitutional compliance is essential for responsible AI deployment within legal systems

This scientific article analyzes the legal nature of disputes arising from land relations, the procedural features of their judicial review, and systemic problems in the application of substantive law norms.

The article discusses issues such as the invalidation of acts by local government authorities on the allocation and seizure of land, the return of land plots for state and public needs with compensation, as well as jurisdiction between economic and civil courts.

The comparative-legal part of the article examines the practice of applying land dispute resolution mechanisms (mediation), easement, and the institution of "eminent domain" through alternative methods in continental (Germany, South Korea) and Anglo-Saxon (Great Britain, USA) legal systems, and puts forward scientific and practical proposals for improving national legislation.

This article provides a comprehensive legal analysis of the mechanisms governing the formation and development of human capital within the system of state power bodies of the Republic of Uzbekistan. In the era of the "New Uzbekistan" development strategy and intensive administrative reforms, building a highly competent, digitally skilled, and professional civil service corps is a primary state objective. This study examines the evolution of national legislation, focusing specifically on the Law "On State Civil Service" (2022) and subsequent presidential decrees that institutionalized meritocracy, standardized competency frameworks, and performance-based evaluation systems (KPIs). Through comparative legal methods, the article contrasts Uzbekistan's public sector human resource frameworks with institutional models of developed nations such as Singapore and France. The author incorporates the advanced research of regional legal scholars to illustrate the shift toward digital governance. Ultimately, specific legislative solutions are proposed to optimize the public sector human capital as a core instrument of effective public administration.

Drawing on a comparative-legal analysis of the legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Federal Republic of Germany, the French Republic and the People's Republic of China, as well as of international instruments (the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration of 1985 and the New York Convention of 1958), the article examines a set of systemic problems characteristic of the activity of the legal departments (in-house counsel) of private companies. It investigates such issues as the organizational and legal status and independence of the legal department, the professional qualification and accreditation of corporate counsel, preventive legal protection (including the institution of due care and due diligence), the protection of intellectual property, the quality of the preparation of statements of claim and the enforcement of judicial acts, the use of alternative dispute-resolution methods (mediation), and the application of the norms of international commercial arbitration. On the basis of the conducted research, practical recommendations are formulated aimed at improving the national regulation of the activity of companies' legal departments in Uzbekistan, with due regard for leading foreign experience.

Drawing on a comparative-legal methodology, the article examines the methodological and norm-setting (internal rule-making) function of corporate legal departments in Uzbekistan against advanced foreign practice in the USA, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, South Africa and the CIS/Central Asian states. Thirteen systemic problems are identified and substantiated – from the regulatory uncertainty of in-house counsel status and the absence of in-house legal privilege to an underdeveloped compliance function, a reactive model of legal work and a digitalisation gap. The analysis relies on statistical data of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), ISO standards (ISO 37301, ISO 31000), the G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance 2023, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the case law of the CJEU (Akzo Nobel, AM & S), the US Supreme Court (Upjohn) and the ECtHR (Michaud). Ten reform directions are proposed in the context of Uzbekistan’s ongoing legal reforms.

This article examines the experience of developed countries - the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan - in regulating employment contracts of academic staff in higher education institutions through a comparative legal analysis. The study covers reforms implemented in 2024-2026, including the adoption of the Employment Rights Act 2025 in the United Kingdom, the 2024 amendment of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (WissZeitVG) in Germany, the intensification of political threats to the tenure system in the United States, and the consolidation of the 10-year permanent contract conversion mechanism in Japan. Franceʼs stable civil servant model is also assessed comparatively. The existing legal framework in Uzbekistan is critically evaluated and, based on the comparative analysis, six scientifically grounded recommendations are developed to improve the labor-legal status of higher education teaching staff. The findings substantiate the necessity of introducing an "academic employment contract" institution as a distinct legal category in Uzbekistan.

Drawing on applied-scholarly and methodological approaches, the article examines the legal substance and the organizational and legal mechanisms of the activity of corporate legal departments of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the prevention, suppression and investigation of instances of bullying (mobbing) and harassment in the world of work. The relevance of the topic is determined by the global prevalence of the phenomenon: according to the first-ever global survey conducted by the ILO together with the Lloyd’s Register Foundation and Gallup (2022), at least 22.8 per cent (743 million) of employed persons have encountered violence and harassment at work at least once during their working life. The empirical and doctrinal basis comprises numerous peer-reviewed scholarly works by researchers from Uzbekistan, the CIS countries, Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa, instruments and publications of the UN, the ILO, the Council of Europe, the institutions of the European Union, the World Bank Group and the EBRD, as well as the case law of the United States, the ECtHR and the courts of a number of countries. The principal research aim is to identify the gaps in national regulation and to develop a scientifically grounded model for the participation of the corporate legal department in anti-bullying compliance. Ten key problems are identified and systematized; detailed scholarly conclusions and concrete proposals of a legislative and local (corporate) nature are formulated, including a model internal-investigation procedure for companies in Uzbekistan.

This article examines Uzbekistan's ongoing accession process to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its implications for trade liberalization and the protection of national interests. As Uzbekistan deepens its integration into the global economy under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's reform agenda, WTO membership has emerged as a central pillar of the country's foreign economic policy. The article analyzes the historical trajectory of Uzbekistan's WTO negotiations, identifies the key sectors affected by trade liberalization commitments, and assesses the legislative, regulatory, and institutional reforms required for compliance with WTO norms. Drawing on international trade law, comparative experience of post-Soviet WTO members, and Uzbek domestic legal frameworks, the article argues that successful WTO accession demands a carefully calibrated balance between market openness and the preservation of strategic national interests. Special attention is given to agriculture, intellectual property, services, and customs regulation as priority areas. The article concludes with policy recommendations for ensuring that Uzbekistan's integration into the multilateral trading system yields sustainable economic and legal benefits.

The tokenization of real-world assets represents one of the most transformative developments at the intersection of technology and law, challenging the foundational doctrines of property law, contract theory, and financial regulation. This article provides a rigorous comparative legal analysis of the conceptual nature of asset tokenisation, its internationally recognised legal typologies, and the specific regulatory framework established by the Republic of Uzbekistan. The article critically examines the four-category token taxonomy enshrined in Uzbekistan's NAPP Regulation No. 3397: the secured token, the unsecured token, the utilitarian token, and the stable token. Particular attention is devoted to the legal rationale underlying the prohibition on residents issuing Unsecured and Stable Tokens, which is analyzed through the lenses of investor protection, monetary sovereignty, systemic risk containment, and financial integrity. The article concludes with concrete de lege ferenda proposals for the modernization of Uzbekistan's digital asset regulatory architecture.

Drawing on systemic and comparative-legal approaches, the article examines the legal nature, features, and methodology of the claim work of the legal departments of business entities of the Republic of Uzbekistan. It reveals the dual (substantive-legal and procedural-protective) nature of claim work; traces the evolution of the Uzbek model of pre-trial settlement following the procedural reform of 2018; and analyzes foreign experience (Russia, Kazakhstan, the European Union) and international standards (UNCITRAL instruments, the Singapore and New York Conventions, EU directives). The scholarly conclusions are confirmed by decisions of international judicial and arbitration bodies and by data of international organizations (the EBRD, the ADB, the World Bank). Eight systemic problems of claim work are identified and ways to resolve them are proposed, including proposals de lege ferenda.

The article examines the role of the legal risk map as a key instrument for the transition of the legal departments of companies in Uzbekistan from a reactive (claims-and-litigation) model to proactive, risk-based management. It reveals the concept and legal nature of legal risk in light of the approaches of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, the ISO 31000:2018 standard, the doctrine of T. Mahler and R. McCormick, and the works of CIS scholars. It systematises advanced foreign experience – the duty-of-oversight doctrine established in In re Caremark and Marchand v. Barnhill (State of Delaware, USA), the activity of the Financial Markets Law Committee (FMLC) of the United Kingdom, and the ACC Legal Operations Maturity Model. Twelve systemic problems impeding the implementation of the legal risk map in Uzbekistan are identified and analysed. Detailed scholarly conclusions and specific practical proposals are formulated, including the enactment of a statutory definition of legal risk, the wide-scale adoption of ISO 31000 in Uzbekistan, the introduction of the “three lines of defence” model and of a register of legal incidents.

This article presents a research-and-practice analysis of systemic enforcement problems of the Labor Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan and related regulatory acts, identified in the practice of large-scale industrial business. Drawing on eight legal conflicts – ranging from the disproportionate financial liability of the employer for delayed payments and the unregulated status of distance learning to the absence of a clear distinction between employment and civil-law contracts – the article substantiates concrete proposals for improving the legislation. The methodological framework is the comparative-legal and formal-legal analysis of the provisions of the legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as of the international labor standards of the ILO. The article concludes that a systemic balancing of employee protection and the predictability of the regulatory environment for the employer is necessary as a precondition for the investment attractiveness of the country's economy.

This article examines the prospects for forming a new model of cooperation between the state and civil society in the security sphere in the context of contemporary Uzbekistan. The study rests on the premise that the categories of state security, national security, and societal security, although frequently conflated in administrative and public discourse, designate distinct referent objects and therefore presuppose different configurations of the relationship between governmental institutions and civil society. The article delineates these categories, establishes their interrelation, and considers how the normative framework consolidated under the New Uzbekistan reforms reconfigures the participation of civil society institutions in the provision of security. The renewed Constitution, the Uzbekistan-2030 Strategy, the successive concepts of civil society development, and the legislation governing non-governmental non-commercial organizations are read as elements of a single institutional design. It is argued that the emerging model marks a transition from a state-centric understanding of security, in which civil society figures predominantly as an object of protection, toward a co-productive arrangement in which civil society institutions operate as partners in the identification of threats, the prevention of social risks, and the maintenance of public order. The analysis specifies the institutional preconditions of this transition, examines its functional domains, and assesses the constraints that bear upon its consolidation, treating these constraints as tasks of institutional maturation rather than as structural impediments.

This article examines the theoretical, legal, and practical aspects of preventing corruption and conflicts of interest within the public civil service system. Particular attention is paid to the adverse impact of corruption on the effectiveness of public administration, the openness and transparency of state bodies, as well as public trust in state institutions. The essence and types of conflicts of interest, along with their significance as factors generating corruption risks, are analyzed based on the approaches developed by international organizations and scholars. Furthermore, the article discusses existing mechanisms for assessing the quality of public services and identifies challenges associated with their improvement. The author proposes a number of organizational and legal measures aimed at preventing corruption and conflicts of interest in the public civil service, including the introduction of an asset and interest declaration system, the adoption of a unified methodology for corruption risk assessment, and the development of ethics and integrity indices and digital monitoring mechanisms.