Enhancing the capacity of defense advocates
The ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) is helping improve the ability of Serbian advocates and lawyers to effectively represent their clients by training them on the trial advocacy skills needed to practice under the current Criminal Procedure Code (CPC). The CPC gradually replaces Serbia’s inquisitorial system of justice with an adversarial system. With funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and in collaboration with Partners for Democratic Change in Serbia, ABA ROLI is working to prepare attorneys to assume the roles and functions prescribed in the code.
We implement our Criminal Defense Capacity Program to help increase citizens’ access to justice by strengthening the quality of legal defense they receive. In addition to holding in-person practical skills trainings, ABA ROLI and Partners for Democratic Change in Serbia have also provided local attorneys and institutions with new materials and resources, including a CPC benchbook and an online course. ABA ROLI and Partners Serbia will also continue to host trainings and mock trial exercises.