Deadline: 06-Jan-2025
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a project to address the gap in how law faculties in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) equip students with necessary legal skillsets required for the legal profession; and the necessity for credible legal practitioners to positively influence law students and young lawyers and impart on their professionalism, ethics, values, and resilience.
There is a need to strengthen BiH law student learning of critical lawyering skills and to leverage cross-institutional collaboration and inter-generational exchange of legal knowledge and experience. Specifically, the Program will prepare law students to enter the legal profession with skills needed to work effectively in the justice system. More broadly, the Program will positively shape legal culture in BiH, serve as a longer-term strategy to combat corruption, build public trust in justice institutions, and confidence in the legal profession.
Goals
- Goal 1 is to strengthen law faculty teaching of critical legal skills required of law students who will enter the legal profession.
- Goal 2 will advance LRRW law student understanding of legal practice and professionalism through engagement with credible justice/legal practitioners. Specifically, implementation of Goal 2 will generate cross-institutional collaboration and inter-generational exchange of knowledge and experience – important strategies to improve professionalism in the law. Implementation of Goal 2 activities create opportunities for law students to better apply LRRW skills in their legal work and offer meaningful cross-institutional and inter-generational exchanges of knowledge, information, and skills.
- Goal 3 will strengthen multi-sectoral networking and consensus-building opportunities amongst key stakeholders in the legal profession. Specifically, implementation of Goal 3 will create a trusted law profession advocacy network/forum that can advocate for justice reform and legal education reform policies and solutions, comprised of upstanding legal professionals and experts. Under this objective, and cross-cutting with Goal 2, law students will have additional opportunities for training, experiential learning and participation in strategic interventions in the legal profession.
Objectives
- Objective 1: Design and implement a Full-Year Legal Reasoning, Research, and Writing (LRRW) Course in law faculties in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)
- Objective 1 focuses on developing law students’ LRRW skills. The lack of a self-standing LRRW course at BiH law faculties is a weakness for preparing law students for the legal profession. Developing sound LRRW skills are critical to ensuring competence within the legal profession. Currently, students are left to develop their LRRW skills piecemeal across doctrinal courses during law school, which results in an inadequate and inconsistent developmental process.
- Objective 2: Support extended practice-based learning opportunities for law students who complete the LRRW course.
- The primary goal of this objective is to provide opportunities for BiH law students to apply LRRW skills and better understand the ethics, values, and practices of the legal profession. Opportunities are more likely to arise when there is sufficient collaboration between BiH law faculties and law practitioners. The program will help the law faculties and legal practitioner community to work together and offer extended practice-based learning opportunities for law students who complete the LRRW course. Objective 2 will prepare BiH law students to work effectively and competently in a legal work setting.
- Objective 3: Develop a trusted law profession advocacy network/forum within the BiH legal professional community that will advocate for justice reform policies and promote professionalism, integrity, and excellence within the legal profession.
- Under this objective, there is a need to create/sustain a trusted network of credible, qualified, multi-disciplinary legal professionals who professionally engage young lawyers and law students. Specifically, credible justice practitioners will help law students and young lawyers develop their professional legal identity and reinforce a commitment to integrity and excellence in the legal profession.
Funding Information
- Total Funding Available: $600,000
- Application Floor: At least $500,000
Duration
- INL projects shall not exceed five (5) total years of project implementation.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
- U.S.-based educational institutions subject to section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code or section 26 US 115 of the U.S. tax code;
- Foreign-based non-profits/non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
- Foreign-based educational institutions
- Applicants must also meet the following requirements to be eligible to apply to this NOFO:
- Organizations must be able to develop and successfully implement a project in BiH and meet INL’s reporting requirements. Organizations must also be able to demonstrate current (or pending) country registration in BiH, if required by the country of project implementation.
- Applicants should have demonstrated experience implementing similar education or capacity building programs, preferably in BiH.
- INL reserves the right to request additional background information on organizations that do not have previous experience administering similar programs and/or federal grant award.
- Applicants must have the ability to produce course materials, deliver training, and conduct evaluations in local language and English. The applicant’s staff should be proficient in English in order to fulfill reporting requirements.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
