02.09.2007

In January 2007, the Rule of Law Initiative began piloting in Armenia the Legal Education Reform Index (LERI) - the seventh and newest in its series of highly-regarded assessment tools. Beginning in January, the Armenia office compiled and translated all the laws and regulations governing legal education in the country. In February, the LERI assessor, Carson Clements, Legal Analyst in the Rule of Law Initiative's Research and Program Development Office, and Armenia Staff Attorney Narine Gasparian, conducted nearly 50 interviews with law school administrators, government officials, lawyers, law professors, and law students. To ensure comprehensiveness, interviews were conducted in both private and public law schools in Yerevan and in the regions. In March and April, the Research and Program Development Office and the Armenia office will work to finalize the assessment and issue a report that will be posted on the Rule of Law Initiative website. Like similar assessment reports, the Armenia LERI report will help inform future assistance efforts and will provide local reformers with valuable information about aspects of the legal education system that require the greatest attention.

For more information, please contact Armenia Country Director Sonya Smith, at <smithSO@staff.abanet.org> or Carson Clements, legal analyst, Research and Program Development Office, at <cclements@staff.abanet.org>