Lawyers retrain to help Third World
8 Jun 07
Thirty complete first course in supporting developing countries
Thirty lawyers from leading commercial firms have become the first to complete a year-long specialist course aimed at training them to help improve conditions for people in the developing world.
The course, offered by the School of Law and Brooks World Poverty Institute at the University of Manchester and the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, covers subjects such as development theory, debt, trade, micro-finance and corruption.
The solicitors and barristers who undertook the course are members of Advocates for International Development – or A4ID – an organisation which facilitates the provision of free legal advice and assistance in the developing world.
A4ID's education programme director Katie Hutt said: "Skills used every day by commercial lawyers are of enormous value to developing countries, where access to legal expertise and resources can be limited.
"Through the training, member lawyers see the impact their work can make. Debt, for instance, is a huge issue for many developing countries and there is often an imbalance in legal support for any countries when they sign loan agreements.
"This has caused significant problems later on when debts are assigned and repayments are demanded in contrary to global debt relief. Often court proceedings can follow.
"The need for pro-development trade and fair access to global markets are also crucial factors in poverty reduction and have been a core focus of the training."
The next course starts in September 2007.