Working together to strengthen the profession of lawyers

The Joint Project ‘Support to the Georgian Bar Association’ was officially launched on 2 June 2015 with an event that was attended by high level officials from the local governmental sector, NGOs and international organisations. Keynote speakers emphasised the role of lawyers in the justice system and the need for their further professional growth. Presentations were followed by a discussion and a number of initiatives were put forward that were welcomed by the Project team.  The Project aims to conclude its work by June 2016 resulting in a better-managed Bar association and a professional, competitive environment for lawyers.

       

The Project cooperates with different State and non-governmental institutions, international and donor organizations, working in the field of justice system in Georgia. The objectives of the project are as follows:

 To increase compliance of national legislations and regulations concerning the mandate and functioning of GBA with European standards and CoE recommendations;

 To strengthen capacity of GBA management and staff to apply management techniques in carrying out their tasks efficiently;

 To increase compliance of the Code of Professional Ethics for Lawyers practicing in Georgia in line with European standards and best practices;

 To increase legal skills of lawyers through the development of curricula for continuous training courses and use of the Online Teaching Platform;

 To modernize entrance examination for students’ lawyers.

The justice system has been one of the key areas of reform in Georgia in recent years. The reform process has, in particular, helped to improve the efficiency of the justice sector institutions, the competency of the various actors (judges, lawyers, self-governing bodies), and access to justice for individuals.

Lawyers are integral part of the justice system and play an important role in ensuring, together with judges, that fair trial procedures and the principle of equality of arms are respected by the State. The new joint European Union and Council of Europe Project aims to institutionally strengthen the Georgian Bar Association (GBA) by enhancing the capacity of individual lawyers as well as GBA management. The Project additionally envisages increasing compliance of national legislations and regulations concerning the mandate and functioning of GBA with European standards.