Support to the Kyrgyzstani Legal Defense Community

Agency for International Development (USAID). The program aimed to support the development and growth of a unified bar association and enhance the qualifications of attorneys to serve the needs of the public. The primary objectives of the program were to improve access to an impartial justice system, build public confidence in the legal system, and promote stability in the Kyrgyz Republic by enhancing the capacity, skills, and knowledge of practicing attorneys and the next generation of Kyrgyzstani lawyers. During the quarter of October 1, 2016, to December 31, 2016, ABA ROLI focused on providing the Advocatura with basic tools and capacity to establish themselves as an effective and respected institution. The organization equipped advocates with information on professional registration requirements through a roundtable discussion and initiated steps to revise the taxation schedule of practicing advocates to better reflect their needs and interests. ABA ROLI also helped to increase the financial transparency of the Advocatura by engaging an expert of the Auditing Commission to compile a comparative analysis and report on the organization's spending. The Advocatura was officially registered on October 17 as a component entity of the Advocatura, ensuring the organization has in-house expertise and capacity to provide services to its constituents. ABA ROLI's continued support to the Legal Clinics Association (LCA) enabled it to conduct a series of meetings, field trips, and study tours for students around the country to meet with legal professionals. The LCA and Advocates Training Center (ATC) came to a mutual agreement on the provision of professional development opportunities for current law students that will allow them to build their practical skills and knowledge ahead of entry into the profession. ABA ROLI provided financial assistance to seven legal clinics around the country that engaged 147 students in clinical legal education and who provided pro bono legal aid to 203 clients. With support from their legal clinics, 18 law students went into their communities and delivered trainings on a variety of legal topics for 350 students in secondary schools. ABA ROLI's support to the LCA to promote clinical legal education resulted in a number of high-profile meetings, in particular, between the President of the LCA and the Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic who came to mutual agreement to support a working group that will develop a draft regulation on mandatory clinical legal education. The national and regional Advocaturas adopted and implemented management structures and systems. ABA ROLI provided financial support to the National Advocatura through a sub-award that was designed to jump-start the Advocaturas' capacity in its first year of operation. The sub-award was completed in September 2016, and ABA ROLI provided substantive and technical expertise and guidance to the Advocatura. ABA ROLI also organized training for the Advocaturas' leadership on strategic planning, financial management, administration, capacity-building, institutional development, and public outreach. The training focused on effective management and strategic planning tools, and as a result, the Bishkek city regional advocatura's leadership developed a draft of their strategic plan for the next three years. The Advocatura leadership completed and approved its Strategic Plan for 2015-2017 as a result of the January 2015 trainings for the Advocatura leadership on strategic planning, financial management, administration, capacity-building, institutional development, and public outreach. ABA ROLI provided further technical expertise over the course of the program period by supporting the development of documents that would enable the Advocatura to establish a Unified CLE Standard. As a result of these efforts, during the March 2016 Extraordinary Congress, the Advocatura adopted the Unified CLE Standard, which will serve as a model for other regional advocaturas.