The USAID Rule of Law Program supports the justice system in Georgia by improving court administration, protecting judicial independence, and making court operations more efficient and people-centered. As part of its work, the Program regularly provides technical assistance to individual courts to improve their court administration practices and engagement with court users and the local communities.

On February 23-28, 2023, the Program invited U.S. court administration expert Jeffrey Colwell to visit Kutaisi Court of Appeals, Rustavi City Court, and Samtredia City Court to observe the operation of the registries, chancellery, and judicial support offices in each court, and to exchange experiences and best practices in court administration.

Each of the meetings lasted approximately three hours and included tours of the courts and roundtable discussions with the court managers, court chairs, and key staff from different organizational units of each court. The participants also discussed the operation of the case management systems and exchanged views on statistical systems, courtroom accessibility, court procedure, and other practical aspects of court management.

At the meetings with judges and staff, Mr. Colwell and the hosts discussed ways of improving court efficiency, including the use of statistics to improve case management planning, the optimal distribution of work between different court divisions, the use of court interpreters, jury operations, and ways of improving access to justice for self-represented litigants and other disadvantaged court users.

At the Kutaisi Court of Appeals meeting, court manager Giorgi Zarnadze and court chairperson Judge Irakli Bondarenko gave a tour of the court and discussed the history of the heritage-protected court building. The participants visited the criminal and administrative chamber courtrooms, as well as the juvenile room where proceedings can be conducted by judges in a child-friendly environment.

Mr. Colwell and staff representing the USAID Rule of Law Program, Dr. Tim Bunjevac and Ana Shalamberidze, met with court researchers and judicial assistants who are involved in the drafting of court decisions and case management. They also met with the chancellery manager and discussed the electronic case management system and the use of caseload statistics by the court. A similar meeting was held at the Samtredia City Court, where the judges and staff expressed an interest in attending future court management and People-Centered Justice seminars organized by the Rule of Law Program.

At Rustavi City Court, court manager Guram Korkotashvili and chairperson Judge Mamia Pkhakadze provided a tour of the court’s premises, including the jury trial courtroom, mediation triangular table, child-friendly room, and quiet booth for depositions. They introduced each type of proceeding in the court in detail and also showcased their innovations that made the court more inclusive and adapted to the needs of vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities, children, and persons from non-Georgian-speaking backgrounds. The meeting concluded with a roundtable discussion of various court administration processes with the active participation of the court Chairman, Mr. Colwell and Dr. Bunjevac.

The participants evaluated the visits as very informative and useful for their daily activities and expressed willingness to participate in such activities in the future.

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Jeffrey Colwell is the court manager (‘Clerk of Court’) at the Federal District Court in Denver, Colorado, and has held this position since 2012. In this role, he is responsible for all components of court administration and works closely with the presiding judge to manage the administrative and operational needs of the court. In addition, from 2001-2004 Mr. Colwell was a military judge in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he performed functions similar to that of a U.S. District Court judge in criminal cases. He had tried approximately 300 federal felony and misdemeanor trials at Marine Corps bases, including approximately 30 jury trials.