May 2013
María de los Ángeles Moreno and José Bolivar are partners in every sense of the word. Not only do the Mexican lawyers work alongside one another at the law firm they founded 20 years ago in the state of Chihuahua, but they are also married. Since 2007, they have practiced under the accusatorial criminal justice system, when it was implemented in the state of Chihuahua. Yet, María and José—like many of their colleagues—have had no continuing legal education opportunities to help them adjust to the transition from the inquisitorial system. Both say that the absence of training opportunities stifled their professional development. Maria said that the very few training opportunities available in Chihuahua “are really expensive and we don’t have the money to afford these kinds of courses.”