On July 12, 2024, seventeen regional attorneys from the Legal Aid Service Bureau (LAS) and the Georgian Bar Association (GBA) in Telavi met with Judges Ellen and Douglas Fairs, U.S. judges from the state of Washington participating in judicial exchange activities as part of the USAID Rule of Law Program.

The main purpose of the meeting was to exchange insights on child-centered practices.

Judge Ellen Fair, who spent more than 23 years as a U.S. state court judge, shared her professional experience and views on matters related to the rights of the child, such as devising parenting plans during divorce, identifying a child’s needs, and acting in their best interest. She also provided insights into how dependency cases are handled in Washington state, the usual timelines given for specific actions in the parenting plan, and the differences between the guardian ad litem (a person appointed by the court to investigate what solutions would be in the “best interests” of the child) and the Court Appointed Special Advocate (a trained volunteer assigned to abuse or neglect cases to represent children).

Judge Douglas Fair who practiced as a judge for 18 years, shared information about mediation and remote hearings, reflecting upon his experience as a U.S. trial judge. He explained why mediation took hold as an alternative dispute resolution method in the U.S. and the European Union.  

The meeting concluded with Georgian attorneys sharing the facts of some of their own cases, discussing their outcomes, and comparing approaches they employed to resolve them.