How can European law schools better prepare students to become socially responsible lawyers devoted to the rule of law? How might education help infuse the legal profession and legal system with a profound respect for human rights? The Need for a New Law School, a recent international academic conference, grappled with these timely questions.

Helping to improve higher legal education in former Soviet countries is one of the most important initiatives of PILI’s Legal Education Reform program. With the support of the OSI Higher Education Support Program (HESP), PILI has undertaken a major project to promote sustainable reform of legal education in the FSU. On May 14-16, 2008, project participants gathered at the Second Annual Project Planning Meeting in Kiev. 

To help stimulate the development of subsidized legal aid in Russia, PILI co-sponsored a roundtable in St. Petersburg where advocates gathered to examine effective models for legal aid programs.