News
New Legal Ethics Handbook for Kosovo’s Law Students
The ABA Rule of Law Initiative has published the first Ethics Handbook for Kosovo Law Students. The publication is intended to be used by law faculty professors, students, and experts engaged in ABA ROLI’s Legal Clinics. The Handbook also includes A Survey of Ethics in the Legal Professions; Hypothetical Legal Ethical Dilemmas; and a Mock Trial Case Involving Legal Ethics and Ethical Dilemmas. Read more »»
Kosovo’s Attorneys Stay Abreast of Changing Ethical and Disciplinary Codes
The Kosovo Chamber of Advocates (KCA) and ABA ROLI is organizing a series of Continuing Legal Education Roundtables on Attorney Ethics and the Disciplinary System in Kosovo. Through these roundtables Kosovo attorneys will have the necessary information and training on the most recent revisions made to the Attorney’s Ethics Code and KCA’s Disciplinary System. Read more »»
Podcast: Managing Ethnic Differences in an Independent Kosovo
Kosovo Country director David Sip details how the fact of independence has affected ABA ROLI’s work in Kosovo, and how legal education and profession reform programs there are focusing on maintaining cohesion between ethnic Serbs and Albanians. Read more »»
Programs
The fostering of well-prepared law graduates is necessary to the development and maintenance of an independent, efficient, effective, and accountable legal system. There is broad consensus among actors in the Kosovar justice system that legal education in Kosovo is in need of reform. The ABA concentrates its legal education reform work by pursuing the following overall activity areas:
Clinical Legal Education
The ABA initiated a clinical legal education program at the University of Pristina Law Faculty in 2005. The legal clinic is designed to help students gain practical skills needed upon becoming practicing lawyers. Read more »»
Legal Methodology Course
In October 2006, the ABA and the University of Pristina Law Faculty piloted a course on legal methodology. The course is designed to provide students with foundational legal skills such as critical thinking and analysis, legal research and writing, practical representation and advocacy skills, and professional ethics and responsibility. Read more »»
Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Course
The ABA Rule of Law Initiative is assisting the Pristina and the Mitrovica law faculties develop and introduce a new course on Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility. Read more »»
Legal Research and Writing Seminar
Legal Research and Writing Seminar is a new course developed by the ABA and Pristina Law Faculty. In recent years, the ABA has worked with the univeristy in developing new courses. This new course is part of ABA ROLI's technical assistance to the Prishtina Law Faculty. Read more »»
The ABA has developed and begun implementing a public awareness program to increase public understanding of the legal system. The program aims to inform individuals of their rights and how lawyers and the courts are responsible for enforcement.
TeenLaw for Kosovo High School Students
TeenLaw is a course which introduces information about the Kosovo legal system to high school students and it was first introduced to Kosovo high schools by the American Bar Association/Kosovo in May. Since then, the course has reached some 1500 high school students in Kosovo. Read more »»
Law and Human Rights Education
The ABA recently partnered with the Kosovo Education Center (KEC) to publish three books to help teachers fill a gap in the existing school curriculum in civic and legal rights. Read more »»
Public Service Announcements for Television
The ABA, in collaboration with the Kosovo Chamber of Advocates and the Kosovo Judges Association, produced three live-action and three animated PSAs for television. Read more »»
Regulatory Bar & Chamber of Advocates Development
Regulatory Bar Research
ABA intends to Develop a Bar that regulates the practice of law so that competency and ethical standards are ensured. The ABA assesses the legal framework of the legal profession to identify the needs for regulating the Bar in Kosovo. Read more »»
Establishing Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
The ABA develops CLE courses and assists the KCA develop a practical and realistic CLE program for their members, including establishing a financial plan for sponsoring the program. Read more »»
KCA's Code of Ethics and Disciplinary Measures
ABA ROLI provided legal and technical support to the Kosovo Chamber of Advocates Ethics Committee for a new disciplinary model and ethics code. ABA ROLI’s support for this reform included a study visit to Ireland for eight members of the Kosovo Chamber of Advocates’ (KCA) Ethics and Discipline Committee. Read more »»
Bench-Bar Cooperation
In December 2007, ABA ROLI published a Bench-Bar brochure aimed at promoting the rule of law in Kosovo. The brochure represents a summary of thirty issues identified by Kosovo judges and attorneys during a series of roundtable discussions organized in five Kosovo regions. Read more »»
Supporting Women and Minorities
The ABA Rule of Law Initiative directly supports the Gender and Minority Committee of the Kosovo Chamber of Advocates through different projects. The ABA’s goal is to assist women and minorities to attain equality in the legal profession in Kosovo. Read more »»
Publications
- Kosovo Legal Ethics Handbook (2008). Also available in Serbian and Albanian.
- Judicial Reform Index for Kosovo - Volume III (August 2007). Also available in Serbian and Albanian.
- Kosovo Chamber of Advocates Organizational Assessment 2007 (January 2008) | in Albanian, English & Serbian
- Kosovo Bench-Bar Brochure (December 2007). Also available in Serbian and Albanian.
- Legal Profession Reform Index for Kosovo - Volume II (April 2007). Also available in Albanian & Serbian
- TeenLaw - A Course for High School Students about the Law, Rights & Responsibilities, and the Kosovo Legal System (September 2007). Also available in Albanian.
- Kosovo Judges Association (KJA) Strategic Plan 2007- 2009. Also available in Albanian & Serbian
- Kosovo Judges Association (KJA) Organizational Assessment 2007. Also available in Albanian & Serbian
- Interactive Teaching Techniques. A Handbook for Law Professors at the University of Prishtina, Law Faculty (May 2007). Also available in Albanian
David Sip Country Director Pashko Vasa No. 7, Pejton 10,000
Prishtine, Kosovo
Phone: +381-38-243-161;+381-38-232- 540
Fax: +381 38-243-161
Email: office@ceelikosovo.org
Background
In 1999, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (formerly known as CEELI) established an office in Pristina to implement a technical legal assistance program in Kosovo. ABA representatives assessing the status of the post-conflict legal system were some of the first legal advisors on the ground. In February 2008, Kosovo announced its independence from Serbia. Several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and other EU members, subsequently recognized Kosovo's independence. The new flag is featured at the top of the page
The declaration of independence was passed unanimously by the Kosovar parliament, which also selected a new flag, showing the shape of the country in gold, on a blue background, with six white stars. Since commencing its program, the ABA's primary focus has been the establishment of basic legal institutions in the post-conflict environment, the promotion of self-sustaining training for judges (especially related to judicial independence), attorneys and prosecutors, and a war crimes documentation project.Major projects on which the ABA has worked include: initial training for all of the newly appointed judges in Kosovo; the creation of the Kosovo Judges Association in May 2001; the design of a two-week, intensive course on human rights standards and Kosovar criminal and criminal procedure law, conducted at the CEELI Institute in Prague; capacity building projects with the Kosovo Chamber of Advocates and Kosovo Judges Association through the Regional Institution Building Advisor program, the publication of the Judicial Reform Index (Volume I in 2002 and Volume II in 2004) and the Legal Profession Reform Index (Volume I in 2004 and Volume II in 2007) and continuing Legal Education.
Click here to view a brochure about the ABA Rule of Law Initiative's work in Kosovo.
Meet Our Field Staff
Osmani’s Involvement with Kosovo LPRI and JRI
Arianit Osmani has been working with ABA ROLI as a Legal Assistant in Kosovo for more than a year. During this time, he worked on very important projects such as ABA’s Assessment Tools: the Legal Profession Reform Index 2007 and the Judicial Reform Index 2007. Read more »»
