Quality legal education is an essential element in producing legal professionals that can competently represent clients and contribute to the establishment of the rule of law in emerging democracies and transitioning states. However, in many such countries, the quality of legal education does not meet international standards and many law faculty/law school graduates do not possess the requisite skills to be effective lawyers.

Against this backdrop, the Rule of Law Initiative has developed the Legal Education Reform Index (LERI) to gauge the status of legal education reform in countries in transition vis-à-vis internationally established principles.

Methodologically, the LERI employs a rigorous analysis of all relevant laws that regulate higher education institutions and legal education programs in a country (de jure analysis). This framework is assessed based on a series of in-depth structured interviews with government officials responsible for higher education, members of law faculties/schools, law students, experts on legal education, lawyers, judges, prosecutors, and other interested parties to see whether the legal education system in a given country in fact complies with the relevant laws and standards on legal education (de facto analysis). The LERI is based on 24 factors, which are derived from comparative legal traditions and internationally recognized standards for legal education developed by the United Nations, Council of Europe and other organizations, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Council of the Bars and Law Societies of Europe, European Union, Commonwealth of Independent States, and the American Bar Association. The LERI also draws on the more than 15 years of experience that the Rule of Law Initiative has accumulated in implementing international legal assistance and reform programs. The 24 factors are organized under five sections including: licensing, evaluation and accreditation; admission policies and requirements; institutional holdings, capacity and faculty qualifications; curriculum and teaching methodology; and student evaluation, examinations, and awarding of degrees.

The LERI will be useful to a variety of individuals and organizations interested in or implementing legal education reform programs. For example, technical assistance providers and donor organizations will find the results of the LERI of great value in program prioritization and design. The LERI will also allow law faculty/school administrators to measure and reform admission standards, curriculum, and teaching methodologies in order to better educate their students and ensure that high quality lawyers are available in their society. In addition, the LERI will provide researchers with hard-to-find information on legal education reform in a particular country. The results of the LERI can also serve as a springboard for a number of initiatives, including legislative drafting and grassroots advocacy efforts for improved government compliance with internationally established standards.

• Review the Legal Education Reform Index Factors
• Learn more about the Rule of Law Initiative's Legal Education Reform Programs