The U.S. State Department in partnership with the Addis Ababa University School of Law launched a new project titled Widening Access to Justice through Clinical Legal Education today and marked the event with a ceremony at Addis Ababa University.
The project aims to improve access to justice through the provisioning of legal aid service to the poor, assist marginalized and vulnerable portions of society, and provide training to judges, prosecutors, law enforcement personnel, and women in small businesses. In addition, the project aims to improve the practical skills of law students and instill a strong sense of social responsibility and professional ethics among law students.
Over the course of the project, the School of Law aims to reach over 400 students through a practical legal education program; train over 200 judges and law enforcement personnel, and train over 60 law professors in clinical legal education and research methodologies.
In addition, through its six legal aid centers, the project will facilitate free legal aid services to thousands of marginalized and/or vulnerable members of Ethiopian society in Addis Ababa and surrounding areas in Oromia.
###
