The USAID Rule of Law Program actively cooperates with the Legal Aid Providers Network (“Network”), which works to ensure efficient referrals between legal aid organizations based on their mandate and capacity. The Network consists of the Legal Aid Service (LAS), civil society organizations, and university clinics.

On December 18-19, as part of its Network support effort, the Program organized two, one-day workshops on expert evidence and fiercely advocating for vulnerable people. The workshops were led by the International Legal Foundation (ILF) Fellow Ingrid Hess, and ILF Program Director in Georgia Allan Dahl. In total, 20 participants, from the LAS, CSOs, and university clinics, attended the workshops.

The first workshop on expert evidence focused on the difference between a fact witness and an expert witness, the qualification of an expert, the admissibility of expert evidence (relevance, reliability), and a discussion of real case examples of expert witnesses.

The second workshop encouraged ferocious advocacy for vulnerable people. Specifically, it included issues such as knowing the client/beneficiary’s social circumstances, if he/she suffers from any kind of disability, if the disability has a bearing on his/her degree of criminal responsibility, if their Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) that would be relevant, and if the client is part of an ethnic group that has suffered historically. The participants shared their experiences and past cases involving similar situations.