News
Law Office Management Training for Bahraini Lawyers
In early November, the Bahraini Ministry of Justice and the Judicial and Legal Studies Institute, with the support of the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), trained practicing lawyers on law office management. The training was initiated in response to requests, from both new and established lawyers and judges, for a program that enhances their practical skills and makes them more successful practitioners. Read more »»
Expert Returns to Bahrain to Improve Enforcement of Judicial Decisions
At the request of the Bahraini Minister of Justice, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative sent expert Bernard Menut to Bahrain in December 2007 to provide technical assistance on the efficient enforcement of judicial decisions. Read more »»
Bahraini Officials Re-examine Judicial Selection and Court Security
Two American judicial experts traveled to Bahrain in November 2007 as part of the ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s Legal and Judicial Training Program. Joseph McDonough spent two weeks assisting the Bahraini Ministry of Justice (MOJ) with the process for selecting Bahraini judges, and Edward Templeman helped the MOJ to determine whether its current balance between openness and security in the courts was appropriate. Read more »»
Programs
Judicial Development
A key objective of the ABA ROLI’s cooperation with Bahrain’s Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is to increase consistency in the administration of justice by enriching the skills and qualifications of Bahrain’s judges and prosecutors. As a result, a central focus of the ABA ROLI’s work has been to enhance the technical and institutional capacities of the MOJ’s Judicial and Legal Studies Institute (JLSI). ABA ROLI has developed a collaborative partnership with the JLSI to implement workshops and to create judicial practice manuals and cutting-edge, e-learning modules on substantive law and professional skills development. ABA ROLI-sponsored materials and seminars have addressed such topics as civil law procedures, civil torts, money laundering, and contract drafting. In addition, ABA ROLI experts have worked with the JLSI leadership on strategy development, planning, and administrative infrastructure. Paralleling its work with the JLSI, the ABA ROLI provided technical assistance to the MOJ on the implementation of an enhanced judicial qualification exam that will enable the Bahrani government to recruit highly qualified prosecutors and judges.
Court Administration and Management
The ABA ROLI has been supporting the Ministry of Justice’s upgrading initiative, including its efforts to enhance court management for a more efficient administration of justice. ABA ROLI has conducted an in-depth needs assessment and supported the development of a plan for improving court management and administration.
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Another focus of the Ministry of Justice’s initiative is the development of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process that will increase efficiency in resolving civil cases. ABA ROLI is providing technical assistance to the ministry in building the necessary procedural and legal framework to support ADR implementation within the Bahraini court system. ABA ROLI has also supported mediation skills training and organized training programs for judges, lawyers, and prosecutors on mediation techniques.
Legal Professional Development
The ABA ROLI’s work on legal profession development in Bahrain centers on enhancing the capacity of the Bahrain Lawyers’ Society (BLS) to enable it to provide professional services to its members. In summer 2008, ABA ROLI began conducting interviews with over 30 lawyers, judges, law professors, journalists, and civil society actors to provide a review of Bahrain’s legal profession and to create a Legal Profession Reform Index (LPRI). The ABA will provide the LPRI findings to the BLS for their use in targeting programming activities, particularly training activities for young lawyers. The ABA ROLI is also working with the BLS on strengthening the latter’s institutional capacity and membership development.
For more information about the ABA ROLI in Bahrain, contact:
Claude Zullo
Senior Advisor
ABA Rule of Law Initiative
Middle East and North Africa Program
740 15th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005
E-mail: czullo@staff.abanet.org
Background
The ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) initiated activities in Bahrain in 2003. ABA ROLI’s Bahrain programs focus on developing judicial training capacity, enhancing court administration and management, introducing alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and strengthening bar capacity.
