The ABA Rule of Law Initiative began providing assistance in Bulgaria in 1991 and had a continuous on-ground presence until April 2007.
Through programs funded by USAID, the United States Department of Justice, and other donor organizations prior to 2000, the ABA held some 40 workshops/training seminars in Bulgaria, completed approximately 55 legal assessments on a variety of topics, with focuses on commercial law reform and training, judicial reform, legal profession reform, legal education reform, and anti-corruption.
With the support of the ABA, former staff members have formed a legacy organization, the Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives (BILI). BILI continues to work on many of the same rule of law reform topics that the ABA worked on during its more than 15 years in the country.