Second Edition of Moot Court Competition organized by OSCE Presence in Albania

The OSCE Presence in Albania, in close co-operation with the National Chamber of Advocacy and the National School of Advocates, completed on 19 December 2016 the Second Edition of the Moot Court Competition, with an event held in one of the High Court’s trial rooms. Eight four-member teams, made of young lawyers who are students of the National School of Advocacy, participated in the event.

The aim of the competition was to enhance the professional skills of young Albanian lawyers.

Bernd Borchardt, Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, reminded the audience of the international community’s commitment in general, and that of the OSCE Presence in Albania in particular, to assist and contribute to the improvement and reformation of the justice system in Albania.

“From this long experience we have noticed that efforts are often focused on assistance to judges and prosecutors. We believe that this method needs to be complemented with a more holistic approach,” Borchardt said. “Indeed, it is clear that lawyers are as important as the handling of court proceedings, especially in civil cases, where they are the true engine of the process. Skilled lawyers are able to influence the outcome and to promote fair trials, support judges in conducting processes in conformity with rules and decide based on justice principles.”

High Court Chair Xhezair Zaganjori also spoke at the event.

The First Edition of the Moot Court was held in 2015, as part of a larger project of the OSCE Presence. In view of its appreciation by the School itself and by the National Chamber of Advocates, the Presence decided to incorporate this activity under its general judicial development project as a tool to improve the efficiency of court proceedings.

Today’s activity is one of the Presence’s many efforts to contribute to more efficient court proceedings. With support from donors and in close co-operation with the National Chamber of Advocates, the Presence has published a manual on civil proceedings and conducted training courses on professional skills for a significant number of new lawyers throughout the country.