December 2010
From November 12–14, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) offered a legal-writing training for 30 students from three partner legal clinics. Held in Tsakhkadzor, the training is the latest of ABA ROLI’s efforts to support legal clinical education in the country. The event also included a moot court competition and a strategy session for the Legal Clinics’ Association (LCA), which was established in May. Legal clinic directors, supervising advocates and law professors from Gavar, Gyumri and Yerevan attended the event.
The training focused on boosting the students’ analysis, writing and presentation skills, and concluded with a moot court exercise based on an actual Court of Cassation case. The trainees drafted legal briefs and argued before law professors, staff from the legal clinics and other students.
During the LCA strategy session, legal clinic directors and supervising advocates discussed best practices and mapped out next steps for their association. The LCA was created to bring stakeholders together and to consolidate, expand upon and create a sustainable model for clinical legal education in Armenia.
Supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development, ABA ROLI has worked for eight years to strengthen legal education in Armenia by supporting practical skills programs and more rigorous curricula for law schools. In addition to offering students hands-on training opportunities, the innovative legal clinic programs also provide pro bono legal assistance to the public.
To learn more about our work in Armenia, contact the ABA Rule of Law Initiative at rol@staff.abanet.org.