Legal Professional Development and Anti-Corruption (LPAC) Program Monthly Report - November 2015

Its design addresses two fundamental challenges to Liberia's development as a state following the rule of law: increasing the capacity of its institutions to produce a sufficient quality and number of judges, magistrates, prosecutors, public defenders, lawyers, and other law-trained actors to maintain an effective legal system, and reducing the corruption that undermines that system. LPAC consists of two components to address those challenges. The first component directs capacity building to the four key Liberian justice sector institutions (the Judicial Institute, the Louis Arthur Grimes Law School, the Liberian Legal Information Institute, and the Liberian National Bar Association) that educate, regulate, and inform legal professionals. The second component supports the Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission and associated Government of Liberia entities in their efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict perpetrators of corruption-related crimes, and to educate the public regarding the fight against corruption in Liberia. The HICD assessment field work was completed in October, and resulted in a draft report that was completed by late November. The draft report includes an action plan and a series of performance solutions that are also informed by USAID and the counterparts' performance monitoring systems. These proposed performance solutions are now expected to form the basis of a series of five substantive Memoranda of Understandings (MOUs) between USAID and each counterpart agency. The MOUs will form the basis of USAID's assistance, through LPAC, as well as the specific undertakings by each of the agencies by which they expect to implement the performance solutions suggested in the HICD assessment report. The draft HICD report was prepared in November, with review by the LPAC long-term advisors. The draft will be submitted to USAID for its comments in early December. LPAC developed a training of trainers (TOT) Manual and Advanced Faculty Handbook for the James A.A. Pierre Judicial Institute (Judicial Institute). These products are being used to train JI faculty on topics such as designing curriculum, assessing student needs, lesson planning, developing learning objectives, and evaluating learning and program outcomes. Beginning with a TOT workshop for the Professional Magistrates Training Program (PMTP), scheduled for early in December 2015, a series of workshops utilizing these new curricula are planned that will provide JI with the capacity to develop a cadre of faculty to meet the needs of various job classifications that JI serves. LPAC worked with the Court Administration Office on Activity A.1.c.1 (Formation of working group) to establish a Judiciary Committee that will develop and operationalize the LPAC proposal for advancing court management in Liberia. With support from the Chief Justice, the Judiciary commissioned the Judiciary Committee for Advancing Court Management, to be known as the ad-hoc "JCACM". The ultimate aim of JCACM is to produce a cadre of court management executives trained to international management standards. The future JI curriculum will provide participants with a firm foundation in the principles and practices of modern court management, and an understanding of the values and characteristics of a well-functioning judicial system. LPAC completed all the repair assessments for the LAGSL main building and commenced the first phase of repairs to student's chairs, desks, the peeling wall, and leaky roof. New air conditioning units have been procured for three law classrooms and for the law journal office. LPAC also assisted in the procurement of repairs and refurbishment for the Louis Arthur Grimes Law School.