Albanian Justice Sector Strengthening Project (JuST) Quarterly Report for April – June, 2013

The project, which began in 2013, is part of ongoing U.S. support to the rule of law and good governance in Albania. The project's primary objective is to increase court transparency, fairness, and efficiency, as well as strengthen the legal profession and legal education. During the third quarter of the third year of the project, significant progress was made in implementing digital audio recording equipment in the courts of Albania. The equipment was installed in 17 courts, including the largest, the Tirana District Court. Training was also provided to court staff on the use of the equipment, which is expected to improve the accuracy of trial records. In addition to the digital audio recording initiative, the project organized the 3rd Court Leadership Conference, which was attended by President Bujar Nishani. The conference aimed to promote understanding of the law and access to justice. The project also published the sixth issue of Avokatia, the bar journal of the National Chamber of Advocates, and initiated the Donor Coordination Group, which meets quarterly to discuss justice sector projects. The project's first component, Increased Court Transparency, Fairness, and Efficiency, focuses on court operations through various strategies designed to address the lack of transparency and organizational deficiencies in the Albanian judiciary. Intervention results include more accurate trial records, more efficiently-run courts that are more open to the public, and reduced case backlogs. The project is advancing these objectives through direct support to the courts in establishing systems for producing and making available verbatim records of legal proceedings, technical assistance to promote greater use of public courtrooms, better court management practices, and assistance to selected pilot courts to introduce and expand the use of mediation for resolving commercial and family law disputes. The project's second component, Strengthened Civic Engagement to Help Stem Governmental and Justice Sector Corruption, aims to promote accountability from the "grass roots" level by bolstering the watchdog and anticorruption roles of civil society organizations and the media. The project is working with civil society organizations and the media to develop their capacity to monitor and report on justice sector issues. The project's third component, Strengthened Legal Profession, focuses on strengthening the legal profession and legal education. The project is working to establish a Bar Journal with the National Chamber of Advocates and publish it regularly, as well as developing a Clinical Legal Education Program and a Magistrates School Database. Overall, the Albanian Justice Sector Strengthening Project is making significant progress in improving the justice delivery system in Albania. The project's initiatives are expected to improve court transparency, fairness, and efficiency, as well as strengthen the legal profession and legal education.