Strengthening justice sector by improving educational system in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Through capacity building and training support and programs, INL plays a vital role in the Department of State’s efforts to strengthen the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including developing the justice sector and improving citizens’ confidence in governing institutions. In an effort to strengthen the judicial system in BiH and increase the practical knowledge of future prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges in BiH, INL seeks to complement existing efforts to advance the rule of law through strengthening the student law practicum, establishing a structured post-law school practicum period and student placement after graduation. This will build on and expand the theoretical training law students currently receive at law faculties in throughout the country. For this purpose, INL has allocated $600,000 to fund proposals from qualified organizations. The collaboration within the program between the law faculties and legal practitioner community in Bosnia and Herzegovina law schools shall enhance clinical education of law students and create a network for advocating a change in approach to practice-based learning inside and outside the classroom for students and legal interns. Such a program is to help justice sector institutions and legal professional associations to create a structured experiential learning system for placing students in externships/internships during law school and post-law school practicum period. Therefore, the program is to create the possibility to transform the culture within the legal profession to one that values integrity, professionalism, and sustaining a new generation of legal professionals. Thus, the program will build on the future criminal justice sector capacity early on at the educational stage. This initiative will address rule of law challenges plaguing country’s criminal justice system, such as lack of public trust in the judiciary coupled with ineffective processing of high-profile corruption cases. The high value project impact is to further institutionalize and expand a practice-based learning at law faculties and strengthen a national law faculty network that will lead to a nation-wide community of practice and promote institutionalization of clinical education at the law faculties. To further prepare law student for their legal profession, the project will create a system for administering internship/externship placements for law students/graduates.

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