AUC Partners with Ministry of Justice to Advance Legal Education

AUC recently signed a three-year academic cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Justice to providing training, education and research opportunities to judges, public prosecutors and members of other judicial bodies in Egypt. The agreement will be implemented by the ministry's National Center for Judicial Studies (NCJS) and AUC's School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (GAPP).

Central to the agreement is enrolling judges and public prosecutors in AUC’s academic programs. Up to 30 fellowships will be available for participants to pursue master’s or diploma programs in international and comparative law. Judges and public prosecutors may also apply for five of the Yousef Jameel fellowships provided by the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

Laila El Baradei, associate dean for graduate studies and research at GAPP, affirmed that, "the agreement is in line with the school's strategic goal of increasing opportunities for fellowships offered to Egyptian students to pursue their master's degrees at AUC.” She pointed out that “through the fellowships, we always manage to attract high-caliber, mature students who are committed to learn and make use of their academic studies, not only in improving their work, but also in contributing positively to society, in more ways than one.”

Short training courses will also be provided by the School of Continuing Education and GAPP’s executive education training programs. The NCJS and GAPP are currently developing course content, and the first participants will be in enrolled in Fall 2015.

Amr Shalakany, associate professor of law and founding director of the Law and Society Research Unit, noted that “this is the first agreement of its kind between AUC and the Ministry of Justice.” He added, “Coming after a similar agreement was signed with the Egyptian State Council last year, it emphasizes AUC's national role in advancing legal education in the country.”

The agreement also guarantees that students have access to the wide array of research materials available at both institutions and the opportunity to collaborate in work groups. Shalakany pointed out that AUC is now “one of the few universities in Egypt to have unprecedented access for judges and students to use resources from both institutions.”

Courses delivered through AUC’s Legal English Training Unit and its libraries will be tailored to develop the capacity of judges and prosecution judicial body members to conduct legal research. The NCJS and GAPP will also work together in organizing seminars and conferences within Egypt, and possibly with law schools abroad, to address legal and judicial issues.

Photo caption: Shalakany, El Baradei, NCJS Director Fathy El Masry, Minister of Justice Mahfouz Saber Abdel Kader, President Lisa Anderson, University Counselor Amr Salama and AUC's Legal Adviser Karim Abdel Latif