Chad Readler in Kenya for Lawyers Without Borders Rule-of-Law Project

Jones Day Columbus partner Chad Readler traveled to Nairobi this month to participate in an eight-day Lawyers Without Borders (LWOB) program focused on improving trial skills of Kenyan prosecutors and private practitioners who litigate cases involving victims of gender violence. Four U.S. federal judges were among the international team of volunteers.

"This was one of those rare, once-in-a-lifetime experiences that you don't believe could ever happen." said Readler. "For a week, our international team helped further the Rule of Law in Kenya, where the courts have long battled against inadequate governmental support and corruptive influences. The Kenyan lawyers were extremely appreciative of the training they received, and personally, I was incredibly appreciative of the opportunity to work with them. The cultural awareness I gained will stay with me forever."

Readler traveled with the international team of judges and lawyers at a critical time in Kenya's legal history. Kenya enacted a new Constitution in 2010, and the Kenyan courts are facing many significant constitutional interpretation issues, including challenges to the make-up of the Kenyan Supreme Court. The country also enacted new sexual assault statutes, which served as the basis for the training provided by the international legal team. Now in its fourth year, the LWOB Kenya program addressed the impact of the new laws and their implementation in the context of a trial, in addition to improving trial advocacy skills through a full mock trial. The mock case involved gender violence in an urban setting, addressing the new sexual assault laws enacted in Kenya.

"Given the firm's commitment to rule-of-law pro bono efforts, we have long been an enthusiastic supporter of Lawyers Without Borders," said Laura Tuell Parcher, Jones Day's firmwide partner in charge of pro bono. "We're proud that Chad took the time and great effort to apply his experience to this important work."

The LOWB Kenya training team worked closely with United States Justice and State Department officials during the training, and also met with U.S. Ambassador Scott Gration at his home in Nairobi.

LWOB's aims "to provide legal support to Rule of Law projects and initiatives in the human rights and global capacity building sectors; this is achieved using lawyers serving pro bono whenever possible. This approach has proven to exponentially reduce costs to funders, in-country NGOs and legal communities in developing regions around the world."