Assessment of the Institutional and Training Needs of the National School of Judges of Ukraine

The school succeeded the former Academy of Judges of Ukraine, which was established in 2002 under the Law on the Judiciary of Ukraine. The Academy's main tasks included training candidates for judges' positions, improving the skills of judges and court staff, conducting research on court performance, analyzing international experience, and providing scientific and procedural support for the operation of courts. The Academy of Judges of Ukraine provided ongoing training to judges of appellate courts and judges of local courts appointed for their initial five-year term, starting from 2003. The Academy developed the Schedule of Training Activities for Judges and Court Staff and became a coordinator of subjects and delivery dates for training courses by the order of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine No. 592 of November 11, 2003, approved by the Council of Judges of Ukraine. The Academy also developed the Concept of the National System of Training, Retraining, and Advancing the Qualifications of Judges, Court Staff, and Staff of the SJA, which was approved by the SJA. In 2004, the Academy established regional departments in Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Lviv, Odesa, Sevastopol, Kharkiv, and Chernivtsi. During this period, the Academy developed Model Educational Plans for judges of local and appellate courts of general jurisdiction and court staff. The Academy also formed a team of faculty consisting of experienced judges, who completed seminars on interactive methods of teaching. Additionally, the Academy introduced the practice of filling out questionnaires after every training program to evaluate the effectiveness, organization, relevance of a subject, and level of teaching, as well as proposals for future courses. In 2005, the Academy participated in developing tests for judicial candidates and the Regulation on the Testing of Candidates to the Position of a Professional Judge, which was approved by the decision of the Council of Judges of Ukraine on September 30, 2005. In 2006, the USAID Ukraine Rule of Law Project (UROL) started providing expert and technical support to the Academy. The UROL project supported the professional development of judges and court staff by developing and conducting several series of training programs, including training-of-trainers (TOT) programs on judicial ethics and opinion writing for judge-trainers of the Academy. By 2009, at least two judge-trainers from every regional department of the Academy had completed the TOT program and were able to teach judicial ethics and opinion writing to other judges. Together with the Academy, UROL published instructional guides for judge-faculty on Judicial Ethics, Judicial Opinion Writing, Courts and Media, as well as a Handbook on Judicial Opinion Writing. UROL further supported a training program on the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the Case-Law of the European Court of Human Rights co-organized with the Ukrainian Legal Foundation. Through 2011, UROL trained about 174 judicial trainers with the participation of more than 2,950 judges and court staff from throughout Ukraine. The National School of Judges of Ukraine faces challenges in its institutional capacity, including the need to identify its institutional needs as a newly established institution transformed from the former Academy of Judges of Ukraine. The school requires support to develop its institutional capacity to conduct initial training programs for candidates for the position of a judge and ongoing training programs for sitting judges. The school also needs to locate another space for its headquarters, as the building previously used by the Academy of Judges of Ukraine is currently under the control of the High Qualifications Commission of Judges of Ukraine. The National School of Judges of Ukraine has the potential to play a crucial role in strengthening the professionalism and effectiveness of the Ukrainian judiciary. To achieve this goal, the school needs to develop its institutional capacity, including its initial and ongoing training programs. The school should focus on providing high-quality training programs that are aligned with international standards and best practices. The school should also establish partnerships with international organizations and experts to support its development and capacity-building efforts. The National School of Judges of Ukraine should prioritize the development of its institutional capacity, including its initial and ongoing training programs. The school should focus on providing high-quality training programs that are aligned with international standards and best practices. The school should also establish partnerships with international organizations and experts to support its development and capacity-building efforts. By doing so, the National School of Judges of Ukraine can play a crucial role in strengthening the professionalism and effectiveness of the Ukrainian judiciary.