News
ABA ROLI Conducts National Professional Ethics Conference in Russia
The ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), under its Rule of Law Partnership Project in the Russian Federation, facilitated a nation-wide conference on professional ethics for advocates. The goal of the conference, held in Rostov-on-Don from August 6–7, was to increase the application of normative ethical standards within the legal profession. The conference, which attracted more than 100 participants, also provided an open forum to express opinions and ask questions of the country’s leading legal experts. Read more »»
ABA ROLI Organizes Anti-Domestic Violence Training for Russian Lawyers
Continuing its traveling lawyer program, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s (ABA ROLI’s) office in Vladivostok, Russia, trained 22 attorneys from Sakhalin on providing legal assistance to domestic violence survivors. Alumni from the 2008 and 2009 traveling lawyers program, Inna Zhidkova and Victoriya Malets, conducted the May 23–24 training in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Read more »»
ABA ROLI Launches Human Trafficking Course in the Russian Far East
On February 24, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s (ABA ROLI’s) Russian Far East Program launched its newly-developed sex trafficking curriculum at the Far Eastern Sate Technical University—one of the leading law schools in Vladivostok, Russia. With support from the U.S. Agency for International Development, ABA ROLI Vladivostok staff members and university faculty are collaboratively teaching the course. A total of 26 students are enrolled in the course. Read more »
ABA ROLI Launches Justice Sector Development Program
In October 2008, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) launched a USAID-funded initiative aimed at justice sector development. ABA ROLI implements this new project together with the Russian American Rule of Law Consortium (RAROLC), a U.S.-based non-governmental organization. Under the program, the Rule of Law Partnership Project, ABA ROLI and RAROLC work to enhance the professionalism and credibility of Russia’s lower level courts. They also work to improve and strengthen the professionalism and accountability standards and governing mechanisms in the country’s legal system, both at the national and regional level.
Programs
- Anti-Corruption
and Public
Integrity - Criminal Law Reform
and Anti-Human
Trafficking - Judicial
Reform
- Legal Profession
Reform
- Women's
Rights
Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity
From 2005–2007, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) in Russia has, through its Criminal Law Program, worked to combat pervasive corruption by launching a municipal anti-corruption program. The program employs a bottom-up approach to build upon the anti-corruption momentum at the local and regional level to develop model legislation and anti-corruption policies. Read more »»
Criminal Law Reform and Anti-Human Trafficking
ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s (ABA ROLI’s) criminal law program has worked to increase access to fair and efficient justice by improving stakeholders’ capacity within the criminal justice system. In cooperation with the U.S. Embassy, ABA ROLI provides training, support and resources for defense attorneys to improve the quality of legal representation. Since 2002, ABA ROLI has conducted jury trial skills seminars to prepare Russian legal professionals to uphold due process and the rights of their clients during the pre-trial and trial phases of criminal proceedings. Read more »»
Judicial Reform
In October 2008, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) launched a USAID-funded initiative aimed at justice sector development. The program focuses on increasing the credibility and professionalism of Russia’s justice of the peace courts. This initiative, the Rule of Law Partnership Project, is implemented in cooperation with the Russian American Rule of Law Consortium.
RLPP works with key judicial institutions on curriculum development, training and court administration improvement. The program involves training justices of the peace and court users in three target regions (Leningrad, Ulyanovsk and Rostov Oblasts); improving court administration; providing ethics, discipline and self-regulation training for judges and organizing judicial exchange programs with U.S. counterparts.
To learn more about our work in Russia, contact the ABA Rule of Law Initiative at <rol@staff.abanet.org>.
Legal Profession Reform
The ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) undertakes a mutli-faceted approach in working with Russia’s legal profession community. ABA ROLI works with the Federal Chamber of Advocates and regional chambers to support the uniform application of ethical and discriplinary standards. In cooperation with Russian legal experts, ABA ROLI developed an ethics and discipline publication, which serves as an important resource for disciplinary commissions throughout the country. It also works to enhance professionalism among advocates by strengthening the administration of continuing legal education (CLE). Read more »»
Women’s Rights
Over the past five years, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) has worked with government officials, prosecutors, lawyers, police officers, judges, justices of the peace, social and medical workers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to strengthen the legal response to gender-based violence throughout the Russian Federation. ABA ROLI has implemented a series of targeted trainings that aim to increase public awareness and to provide government officials and service providers with the skills, knowledge and resources for effective victim support and protection. Read more »»
ABA ROLI Russia—Moscow Office
24/7 Myasnitskaya St., Bldg. 1, office 103
Moscow, 101000, Russia
Phone: +7 495 6638441
Email: office@abamos.ru
ABA ROLI Russia—Vladivostok Office
3A Sukhanova Str., Office 507
Vladivostok, 690091, Russia
Phone: +7 (4232) 43-26-35
Fax: +7 (4232) 43-13-92
Email: arina_khitrina@abavlad.ru
Background
The ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) began its rule of law program in Russia in 1992 with the placement of its first liaison in Moscow, adding its criminal law reform program in 1995. Key achievements have included: assisting in the reintroduction of jury trials and in drafting a new criminal procedure code; founding clinical legal education programs throughout Russia and publishing Russia’s first clinical legal education textbooks; launching a comprehensive social advocates training program to assist victims of domestic violence and assisting in the adoption of judicial and legal profession codes of ethics.
Currently, rule of law programs in Moscow and Vladivostok focus on providing legal professionals with access to trainings on Russian legislation and legal mechanisms, promoting access to justice and legal counsel, supporting bar association development and encouraging gender justice. The criminal law reform program supports the development of legal aid programs, the provision of continuing legal education for criminal defense attorneys, and provides access to information and practical skills trainings on anti-human trafficking and anti-corruption efforts.
Meet Our Staff
Arina Khitrina, Directing Attorney for Far East Programs, joined the ABA Rule of Law Initiative in May, 2006. As a staff attorney, Arina Khitrina assisted with setting up the ROLI branch in Vladivostok, and now works on all programming in that office, including Gender Equality, Human Trafficking, Advocacy, and Bar Association Development issues. Read more »»
