Access to Justice (Fall 2008)
Project Description: In fall 2008, the Leitner Clinic partnered with the Carter Center and the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) in Liberia. The Carter Center and JPC are currently expanding a community legal advisor program aimed at providing access to justice for rural communities in Liberia. The Leitner Clinic produced a handbook to assist the Carter Center and JPC in improving the design of their community legal advisor program. The Leitner team consisted of Fordham Law students David Mandel-Anthony (`10), Sarah Stevenson (`09) and Andrew Wachtenheim (`10) and was co-supervised by Prof. Chi Mgbako and Kristina Baehr, Yale/Bernstein Fellow with the Carter Center.
Partner Organization: The Carter Center is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering. Founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, the Atlanta-based Center has helped to improve the quality of life for people in more than 70 countries. The Carter Center currently works to strengthen the rule of law in Liberia, partnering with grassroots civil society organizations to educate citizens and increase access to justice in the underserved rural communities. The Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) has played an important role in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations in Liberia. JPC provides legal aid and coordinates the Human Rights Fact-Finding Documentation and Reporting Program. The JPC endeavours to work concretely for reconciliation in Liberia through its Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding programme, which include training, workshops, and the promotion of dialogue and tolerance at the local level, utilizing existing traditional mechanisms where possible.
I came to Fordham Law School in large part because of the opportunities at the Leitner Center and the amazing work they do on international human rights. The Clinic was a perfect combination of legal research, grassroots fieldwork, and high level collaboration with international human rights NGOs such as the Carter Center. At the end of the semester we were proud to have produced a document that would be useful and have an impact on the JPC paralegal program in Liberia. The Clinic was definitely my most fulfilling and challenging experience in law school.
- David G. Mandel-Anthony (`10)
Description of Fieldwork: While in Liberia, the Leitner Clinic interviewed JPC and Carter Center staff, government officials, NGO representatives, lawyers, JPC clients, judges, members of the Liberian National Bar Association and community members in Monrovia, Harper, Barclayville, Pleebo, and Cavalla.
Project Outcome: The Leitner Clinic presented the Carter Center and the Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) a final document titled, "A Handbook for the Justice and Peace Commission: Best Practices of Community Legal Advice Programs and Program Assessment and Recommendations." The nearly 200-page handbook is divided into two parts. Part I presents comparative research (based on telephone interviews, email correspondence, and online research) on the best practices of sixteen community-based paralegal and legal advice organizations in Bangladesh, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Part II provides analysis and recommendations for how JPC can improve their Community Legal Advisor program in the following areas: Training; Case Management; Supervision;Legal Referrals and Impact Litigation; Gender-Based Violence; Land Disputes; the Advocate/Mediator Dilemma; Monitoring Courts and Customary Law Bodies; Mobile Clinics; Engaging Traditional Leaders; and Sustainability. The Clinic also designed new case forms that will assist JPC with case management.
