July 2012

From July 11–13, the Libyan Bar Association convened a strategic planning retreat to outline the vision, mission, core values and strategic objectives of the organization for the next 12 months. Facilitated by the ABA Rule of Law Initiative, the meeting also developed an activities timeline to support the outlined objectives, including those that will be supported by ABA ROLI. Participants included the senior Libyan Bar council, composed of representatives from the seven major regional branches of the Libyan Bar.

The former National Transitional Council (NTC) Justice Minister and former deputy chair of the NTC’s national transitional council also participated. Discussions topics included effective cooperation among the regional branches of the Libyan bar; regulation of the professional conduct of lawyers, continuing legal education for lawyers, access to justice, and other issues.

The group also planned for a national conference of lawyers gathering set to take place this fall, which will validate the strategic plan and facilitate cooperation among the regional bars; gather consensus on legal community input into the constitutional drafting process and other law reform; obtain input into the establishment of ethical standards; and provide training for Libyan lawyers on various legal issues. ABA ROLI’s program in Libya is supported by the U.S. Department of State Middle East Partnership Initiative. 

To learn more about the ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s work in Libya, please contact rol@americanbar.org.