May 2010
On March 16, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) and the University ofPristina Law Faculty held a graduation ceremony for 150 law students who completed ABA ROLI’s fall 2009 legal courses.
Conducted in cooperation with local judicial and legal professionals, the fall courses included legal ethics and professional responsibility, legal methodology, legal research and writing, and civil and criminal simulationlegal clinics. Designed to help students gain practical skills, the courses addressed client interviewing, problem solving, legal analysis and research, client counseling and communication, and legal theory and strategy.
Professor Abdullah Aliu, who coordinated one of the courses, said that the courses were a learning experience for the law professors and students alike. Before the ABA ROLI series of courses were launched, he said, “We had no idea about the concept of legal clinics in Kosovo.”
Four of the five courses ABA ROLI developed will be incorporated into Pristina University’s bachelor’s degree curriculum. The university’s decision to make the courses an integral part of its curriculum is an achievement, said Aliu.
Gina Schaar, ABA ROLI’s country director in Kosovo, lauded the decision saying it will have long-term benefits. “This is a major step towards sustainability of these courses,” she said.
To date, about 750 students have participated in ABA ROLI-developed courses at the University of Pristina Law Faculty, which are sponsored by the U.S.Agency for International Development.
To learn more about our work in Kosovo, contact the ABA Rule of Law Initiative at <[email protected]>.