Law Schools

Top Law School Enters Into Partnership With Amal Clooney

The project will increase trial transparency around the world.

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(Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Columbia Law School, fresh off an expansion of their public interest programs, has announced a partnership with the Clooney Foundation for Justice, a non-profit established by famed human rights attorney Amal Clooney and her husband. They are working, along with the American Bar Association, on a project called TrialWatch, which will monitor trials around the world which have a risk of violating human rights and fair trial standards. The data will be used to create a global justice index which will rate countries on how fair their trial systems are.

As Clooney notes, increasing the transparency of courts around the globe is designed to combat the use of legal systems as tools of oppressive governments:

“Today, courts all over the world are used as tools of oppression,” said Amal Clooney in a statement announcing the initiative Wednesday. “Governments get away too easily with imprisoning opposition figures, silencing critics, and persecuting vulnerable groups through the courts. Trial monitoring will shine a light on these abuses and enable us to fight injustice when we see it.”

And the law school’s dean, Gillian Lester, also expressed support for the new project:

“We are honored to partner with the Clooney Foundation on a bold initiative designed to foster fairness and transparency around the world—and ultimately to reform the administration of justice.”

The American Bar Association will also be working on the project, and will assist in recruiting volunteer attorneys to this project:

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“A fair legal process is essential to court systems that deliver justice,” said ABA President Bob Carlson. “The American Bar Association is proud to unite with the Clooney Foundation for Justice and TrialWatch to help institutionalize trial monitoring and bring more watchful eyes to the world’s courtrooms.”

Congratulation to Columbia Law, the Clooney Foundation, and the ABA on their exciting new project.

headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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