On July 25, in Batumi, the training of the first paralegals enrolled in the Registry of the Legal Aid Service Paralegals was completed. Who is a paralegal? A paralegal is a non-lawyer who, after having completed a training program planned by the Legal Aid Service, will be able to provide an initial consultation on legal issues to the population.
During the week, project participants received training on women's rights and trafficking issues. Diana Berekashvili, Tamar Alania, and Tamar Oniani were represented as trainers on women's rights issues, and Mari Meskhi - on those of trafficking. We would also thank the USAID Rule of Law Program for funding and providing significant support to the project. At the closing event of the first stage of the project, "Career Conversations" were held with students. The meeting was opened by the Director of the Legal Aid Service, Razhden Kuprashvili, and the Regional Advisor within the USAID Rule of Law Program, Irina Lortkipanidze. Public Defender Nino Lomjaria, Chairman of the Bar ' Association Davit Asatiani, Executive Director of the Bar Association Giorgi Chekhani, founders of the non-governmental organization "Saorsa" Lela and Lia Putkaradzes spoke to the students about their career experience. In the end, certificates were given to the first paralegals registered in the Registry of the Legal Aid Service Paralegals.
As Razhden Kuprashvili, director of Legal Aid Service declared: "Raising legal awareness is a catalyst for social changes, which leads to the establishment of social justice, the rule of law, and legal security. We all agree that in many cases, human rights cannot be realized due to low legal awareness and lack of easy access to qualified legal advice. With the "Paralegal" Project, we have created a new opportunity to make competent legal consultations more accessible to our citizens. In the future, the Legal Aid Service will create a Registry of Paralegals throughout Georgia, and along with various activities, paralegals will be given the opportunity to participate in paralegal camps, where they will get to know each other, get aware of the challenges in the region and, together with us, take the first steps towards the realization of human rights".