May 2008

Cover of Kosovo's first Legal Ethics Handbook

The ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) has published the first Ethics Handbook for Kosovo Law Students. The handbook is intended to be used by law faculty professors, students, and experts engaged in ABA ROLI’s Legal Clinics.

Vjosa Shkodra, ABA RoLI’s, Legal Education Assistant, said that “the Ethics Handbook initially will help legal clinic students develop a sense of commitment to the ethics code and professionalism in their future career.” 

Furthermore the development of the Ethics Handbook is part of ABA ROLI’s assistance to the law school in Pristina, and in the future, in Mitrovica, to develop and introduce a new course on Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility. The Ethics Handbook will be first and foremost a reading material for this course, once introduced.

The Handbook includes: A Survey of Ethics in the Legal Professions; Hypothetical Legal Ethical Dilemmas; and a Mock Trial Case Involving Legal Ethics and Ethical Dilemmas.

The Handbook also includes the most current codes of conduct in effect from the Kosovo Chamber of Advocates; the Kosovo Judicial Council’s Codes for Judges and Prosecutors; and the Kosovo Legal Aid Commission draft Code of Conduct and Ethics. Finally, the Handbook includes a working Code of Conduct draft for the University of Pristina Legal
Clinics to use for students, professors, and experts engaged in the Clinical courses.

The Handbook and ABA ROLI’s work with the law faculty to develop an up-to date and competitive curriculum is part of ongoing efforts to improve legal education in Kosovo.

Download the Kosovo Legal Ethics Handbook (2008). The publication is also available in Serbian and Albanian.