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Project name: Rule of Law

Start date: FY 1991

End date: FY 2007

Project description:
The project supported the institutionalization of democracy through assistance in developing and revising constitutional, criminal, and civil laws, focusing on human rights and freedoms. Project activities included judicial training, technical assistance for constitutional reforms, legislative oversights, technical legal assistance workshops, assessments of draft laws, restructuring legal education and law school curriculum development, consultations in criminal law and dispute resolution. During the later years CEELI’s work led to the establishment of several Bulgaria legal reform institutions that were instrumental in later judicial reform efforts — the Bulgarian Legal Initiative for Training and Development and the Bulgarian Judges’ Association, and the Magistrates Training Center. Under the Attorneys Professional Development Initiative, USAID supported the Supreme Bar Council in developing legislation governing attorneys that tightened admission requirements for the bar, required that a new code of ethics be passed, required mandatory malpractice insurance, and established the Attorneys Training Center. USAID collaborated with the Supreme Bar Council to organize a bar exam, essential for ensuring the basic competency level of any candidate being admitted to the practice of law. USAID also worked with the Supreme Bar Council to draft a new code of professional conduct. USAID promoted mediation with assistance culminating in adoption of a Law on Mediation, development of mediation centers, with corresponding court-referred mediation programs, in five cities covering nine courts. The initiative's legal education work focused on increasing clinical legal education opportunities at Bulgarian law faculties resulting in better access to legal services for disadvantaged populations.

Implementer: American Bar Association’s Central and East European Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI)

Funding: $7,000,000