During June 27-30, in Batumi, JILEP organized a training of trainers (ToT) session on Lawyers Ethics for members of the Georgian Bar Association (GBA). This is the continuation of the effort to support strengthening of GBA’s capacity to plan and implement lawyers Ethics teaching. Around 25 GBA members participated in the training, which was led by JILEP expert, US law professor James Moliterno.  Throughout the training participants discussed how to strengthen the Georgian Code of Ethics, used hypotheticals to explore how to apply the Code in their daily activities, and resolved hypothetical cases in compliance with the Code. Professor Moliterno also demonstrated methodologies that might be used during conducting legal ethics trainings in the future. JILEP plans to continue working with GBA trainers to implement legal ethics training courses more broadly later this year.

US Expert – Professor James Moliterno delivering interactive training to trainers in Batumi, Georgia

On 1^st of July, US expert Professor Moliterno and Georgian expert Mr. Irakli Kordzakhia, practicing lawyer and head of the GBA Ethics Commission, jointly conducted a workshop for commercial lawyers on the legal ethics. The workshop was specifically designed for the commercial lawyers working in the leading law firms, where they face the most problematic ethical issues during their practice. The experts led discussions such matters as conflicts of interest; supervisor and subordinate lawyers relationship and ethics; referral fees and trust accounts. Mr. Kordzakhia and Professor Moliterno offered some hypotheticals to demonstrate how a lawyer should act in specific circumstances in compliance with the Code of Ethics.

JILEP plans to continue cooperation with the leading law firms in Georgia and GBA to address respective needs of practicing lawyers regarding continues legal education.