The Legal Aid Service (LAS) Board recently approved revisions to the Quality Assurance Performance Standards Manual and the Mentoring Resource Guide, both prepared with support from the USAID Rule of Law Program.

From November 23-25, 2023, LAS with the Program support held a meeting for board members, with 22 participants attending the retreat. Both Davit Simonia, Director of LAS, and Rusudan Tabatadze, Rule of Law Program Manager at USAID/Caucasus, delivered opening remarks.

Nino Meladze, LAS Deputy Director, provided an overview of the changes to the Quality Assurance Performance Standards Manual and the Mentoring Resource Guide. She also introduced the performance evaluation / assessment tool and lawyer / mentor assessment questionnaires, developed with the support of Allan Dahl, International Legal Foundation (ILF) Program Director in Georgia. Mr. Dahl has been actively collaborating with LAS to enhance its quality appraisal system and directly mentor LAS lawyers. Following a comprehensive discussion, the Board approved the proposed changes.

The Program is also assisting LAS in developing a three-year action plan to enhance the Service's effectiveness and sustainability. For LAS, a complex and dynamic organization, having a clear action plan outlining objective, implementation mechanisms, performance indicators, timelines, and responsible persons is crucial. During the second day of the retreat, Davit Simonia, Nino Meladze, and Mariam Gaiparashvili, the Program’s Legal Aid Advisor, brainstormed on action plan activities with Board members.