A group of American law professors and attorneys visited the Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center (KGACLC) on March 26th as part of their visit to Santa Clara University School of Law and other legal institutions in California. Their 10-day tour was part of an effort to explore the benefits of legal clinical work as an integral part of the education of future attorneys in Armenia.
The contingent included faculty members from Yerevan State University, "Progress” University of Gyumri and the head of Syunik Society Development Center in Armenia. Gavar State University and "Progress” University of Gyumri are part of the Legal Clinical Project (LCP), an effort launched in 2001 by The Armenian Representative Office of the American Bar Association. Through their participation in LCP, these universities encourage their students to "provide legal aid to poor members of their communities.” The LCP follows a model that is similar to the KGACLC’s. According to Liana Haroyan, an attorney from Yerevan University, "students work under the close supervision of clinical attorneys and are encouraged to identify and pursue their own learning goals while providing essential representation to a wide range of clients. Students become counselors, mediators, litigators, and educators as they learn to apply the legal knowledge they have gained in law school to their clients’ diverse concerns.”
About the American Bar Association and its Rule of Law Initiative (ABA/ROLI)
ABA/ROLI provides technical assistance that fosters judicial independence, strengthens the quality of legal representation, broadens access to justice and supports fundamental legal education reform throughout Armenia. To facilitate its reforms, the ABA/ROLI receives support from the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
To read more about the American Bar Association and its Rule of Law Initiative in Armenia go to: http://www.legalclinics.am.
