Legal Professional Development and Anti-Corruption Program (LPAC) Quarterly Report – January to March, 2016

LPAC aims to promote a more effective and accountable formal justice sector through improved capacity of five legal institutions: the James A. A. Pierre Judicial Institute (Judicial Institute), the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law (Law School), the Liberia Legal Information Institute (LiberLII), the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA), and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC). The program seeks to promote a more effective and accountable formal justice sector through improved capacity of the legal professional training and regulatory institutions and improve the rule of law. LPAC is a five-year activity consisting of two components. Component A supports development at four legal education, information, and professional institutions, with the ultimate aim of making those institutions financially and administratively sustainable and able to operate effectively with minimal international donor support. Component B supports the Government of Liberia's efforts to increase its capacity to prevent, investigate, and prosecute corruption, including within the justice sector, and to educate the public regarding the fight against corruption in Liberia. During the first quarter of 2016, LPAC made progress in addressing human institutional capacity development (HICD) identified minor equipment and facility issues at counterpart locations. However, a more comprehensive integration of HICD findings has been deferred until USAID-sponsored Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) technical working group meetings scheduled to begin later in April 2016. LPAC also completed a comprehensive Information Communication Technology (ICT) Assessment Final Report, which was forwarded to USAID Liberia in March 2016 for review and approval. LPAC's Administrative and Financial Systems Specialists continued staff capacity building activities and training in support of JI, Law School, and LiberLII counterparts. The end-state objective of these activities is to design and implement modern administrative, management, and financial systems that support counterpart business processes and comply with Liberian laws and regulations. LPAC submitted draft proposed Memoranda of Cooperation (MOCs) to USAID for review in January 2016, and USAID returned an approved draft template based on the JI proposed MOC in March 2016. Support for the Professional Magistrates Training Program (PMTP) was a significant project activity this quarter. LPAC worked with seconded magistrate trainers to prepare for the PMTP scheduled to begin early in Q3. LPAC met regularly with trainers and JI staff to revise syllabi, refine learning objectives, and update training materials for each module to address recent changes in the law. Several new topics were added to the PMTP, including Introduction to the Legal System of Liberia, Gender Justice, Human Rights and Access to Justice, Court Administration, Juvenile Justice, and Evidence. LPAC's hiring actions were also a significant focus during the first quarter. By the end of the quarter, LPAC had hired or initiated hiring actions on all vacant positions, with the exception of the Fund Raising Coordinator at the Law School, which was stayed at the Dean's request until long-term funding issues can be resolved. LPAC also continued to address vehicle and transportation issues, with USAID agreeing to provide two additional vehicles to LPAC's inventory to support program moves and deliverable activities.