Kathy Kirk, legal specialist, speaking in Jordan

February 2008

Today’s jobs usually require people to learn quickly and meet goals with little time to waste. They don’t often also mean working in a different culture and being accountable to multiple agencies—unless you’re working in a field office of the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI). Like Philippines Country Director Scott Ciment, who had been in the country for less than one month when he was asked to develop a full-fledged proposal for a new program on extrajudicial killings.

“I simply didn’t have a good sense of what was happening in the human rights community regarding the extrajudicial killings,” confesses Ciment. “Fortunately, Chief Justice Reynato Puno, convened a national summit on the issue” that allowed him to meet stakeholders and quickly digest the facts, viewpoints, and opportunities for action.

You might think this kind of pressure would be unbearable. And yet, both Ciment and Jordan Legal Specialist Kathy Kirk gush with enthusiasm about their experiences.

“The support of the ABA and the staff in Jordan was spectacular,” explains Kirk, who was in Jordan for three months. “I had the opportunity to immerse myself in a new country with ready-made colleagues, fulfill my desire to do some significant pro bono work, and gain experiences I will never forget.”

While in Jordan, Kirk consulted on the development of a court-connected mediation program.  From developing procedural manuals to meeting with Jordan’s new ADR Director Judge Mohammed Al Nasser, she faced enormous responsibilities as soon as she stepped off the plane—and it paid off. During her stay, the Ministry of Justice approved the opening of five new mediation programs.

Ciment has overseen the same kind of success:  In November 2007, USAID awarded ABA ROLI a grant to institute pilot small claims courts in several regions throughout the Philippines. Other contracts have been extended, and the proposal for the program to curb extrajudicial killings has received overwhelming support.

Both Kirk and Ciment rose to the challenges of rule of law promotion with the help of partners and staff working alongside them. But they were also urged forward by a belief in the importance of their work to provide an alternative to overburdened and struggling justice systems. As Ciment summarizes, “A judiciary that enjoys the confidence of the public is better able to provide the public its essential services.” Perhaps the same can be said of an organization that enjoys the confidence of its staff.  

For more on Kathy Kirk’s work, see this article on Jordan’s court mediation program.
For more on Scott Ciment’s work, please visit the Philippines country page.