February 2009
Since it established the first university-based live client clinic in Georgia, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) has been working with its partner universities to ensure its legal clinics’ sustainability. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between ABA ROLI and Batumi State University, signed on December 24, 2008, marks the first tangible step towards ensuring the financial sustainability of the first ABA ROLI-sponsored legal clinic in Georgia. At the signing ceremony, which took place in In tourist Palace Hotel in Batumi, representatives of Batumi State University thanked ABA ROLI for its continuous support and pledged their commitment to providing skills-based education to their students. The MOU reflects this commitment through with the university agreeing to take necessary steps to incorporate the clinic’s expenses into its 2010 budget, to work closely with ABA ROLI to ensure programmatic continuity within the clinic, and to ensure the clinic’s sustainability starting January1, 2010. Throughout this year, ABA ROLI will work with other partner universities to ensure sustainability of its other university-based legal clinics.
To learn more about our work in Georgia, contact the ABA Rule of Law Initiative at <[email protected]>.