CHINESE DEFENDER TRAINING PROGRAM
Program Summary
In order to ensure access to justice for the indigent in China, JVI is advising and assisting International Bridges to Justice in the design and implementation of the Chinese Defender Training Program, an initiative to train hundreds of public defenders and legal aid lawyers in China over a two-year period.
JVI is providing professional services to IBJ in the form of general corporate legal counsel, training of Chinese public defenders and legal aid lawyers, development of training manual, and recruitment of professional volunteers (including attorney trainers and interpreters. In addition, JVI has helped IBJ mobilize multiple law firms and other partners, as well as over $20,000 in cash and in-kind support, to implement the first phase of the program, and is helping to mobilize similar resources for the second phase. Finally, JVI is in the process of evaluating the current legal aid system in China to identify best practices for ensuring access to justice for the indigent in China.
The project is expected to strengthen the skills of hundreds of Chinese legal aid lawyers and public defenders, thus leading to greater protection of the rights of the poor and oppressed in China.
Additional Information
International Bridges to Justice is a justice venture founded in 2000 as a result of collaborative efforts of lawyers, academics, and business leaders, to promote the rule of law, good governance and equitable legal rights for all citizens by ensuring the effective implementation of existing criminal defense, justice and human rights legislation. To achieve these results, IBJ, among others, trains public defense lawyers, provides “how to” manuals and resources, mentors individual defenders through specific cases, provides offices and equipment and runs awareness campaigns with prosecutors, judges and police. It is led by Karen I. Tse, its founder and CEO, an international human rights attorney. The Chinese Defender Training Project, also known as the "Communities of Conscience" project, is a large-scale project designed to mobilize and unite the legal communities in developed countries around the world to advance the state of indigent defense in emerging nations.
In order to ensure access to justice for the indigent in China, JVI is advising and assisting International Bridges to Justice in the design and implementation of the Chinese Defender Training Program, an initiative to train hundreds of public defenders and legal aid lawyers in China over a two-year period.
JVI is providing professional services to IBJ in the form of general corporate legal counsel, training of Chinese public defenders and legal aid lawyers, development of training manual, and recruitment of professional volunteers (including attorney trainers and interpreters. In addition, JVI has helped IBJ mobilize multiple law firms and other partners, as well as over $20,000 in cash and in-kind support, to implement the first phase of the program, and is helping to mobilize similar resources for the second phase. Finally, JVI is in the process of evaluating the current legal aid system in China to identify best practices for ensuring access to justice for the indigent in China.
The project is expected to strengthen the skills of hundreds of Chinese legal aid lawyers and public defenders, thus leading to greater protection of the rights of the poor and oppressed in China.
Additional Information
International Bridges to Justice is a justice venture founded in 2000 as a result of collaborative efforts of lawyers, academics, and business leaders, to promote the rule of law, good governance and equitable legal rights for all citizens by ensuring the effective implementation of existing criminal defense, justice and human rights legislation. To achieve these results, IBJ, among others, trains public defense lawyers, provides “how to” manuals and resources, mentors individual defenders through specific cases, provides offices and equipment and runs awareness campaigns with prosecutors, judges and police. It is led by Karen I. Tse, its founder and CEO, an international human rights attorney. The Chinese Defender Training Project, also known as the "Communities of Conscience" project, is a large-scale project designed to mobilize and unite the legal communities in developed countries around the world to advance the state of indigent defense in emerging nations.
- As a part of the project, eight public defenders from China were invited to D.C. for a two-week intensive training by the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia as well as by several of the Washington D.C.'s prominent law firms. The public defenders were trained in advocacy for the indigent and training of other public defenders. The next phase of the project involves the training other Chinese public defenders by the eight participants in this phase upon their return to China.
- In addition to the Public Defenders Service of D.C, Arnold & Porter, Dickstein Shapiro, Geotext Translations, Inc., Hogan & Hartson LLP, International Senior Lawyers Project, Lex Mundi, Steptoe & Johnson LLP, Venable LLP, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP, and Zuckerman Spaeder LLP each contributed to making the program a success. The funding for the program was provided, in addition to JVI, by the Venable Foundation and individual contributions.