The presentation of the LEPL Legal Aid Service (LAS) four-year report and the awarding ceremony of outstanding attorneys took place on April 1st, 2023.
The Director of the Legal Aid Service, Davit Simonia moderated the meeting. He detailed the LAS future strategy.
The head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and former director of the Legal Aid Service, Razhden Kuprashvili, who is also the author of the reforms, spoke about the modifications implemented in the Service.
Chairperson of the Georgian Bar Association, Davit Asatiani, the Rule of Law Advance Program Manager at the USAID Caucasian Democracy and Governance Office, Rusudan Tabatadze, Senior Advisor on Legal Affairs of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Johan Frantz, Senior Project Officer at the Council of Europe, Bakar Jikia,
Legal Aid Service Council Deputy Chair, Tea Cheishvili addressed the audience.
It was highlighted that over the last four years, the population of Georgia has had significantly increased access to free legal assistance; legal aid bureaus and consultation centers have been established; a number of campaigns have been launched to promote public awareness of the law. Most crucially, a method for assessing the legal assistance supplied by LAS attorneys and consultants has been developed, which has long remained a challenge for systems of a similar nature functioning in a few nations throughout the world.
Georgia is among the first countries to address this issue adequately in a qualified manner.
The conference was attended by members of the Georgian Government and Parliament, representatives of human rights organizations, members of international organizations operating in Georgia, who also made exceptional contribution to LAS reforms.
At the end of the conference, successful lawyers were awarded, and special certificates of appreciation were given to donor and partner organizations