Strengthening access to justice in Latvia through fostering mediation and legal aid services (Phase II)
December 2021 – March 2024
Strengthening access to justice in Latvia through fostering mediation and legal aid services
(Phase II)
This Project is co-funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the European Commission.
The project’s first objective is widening the scope, availability, and quality of state ensured legal aid in Latvia. In addition, it aims to increase the awareness of and recourse to mediation in Latvia as a means of conflict resolution.
Expected Results
The preliminary legal aid system, which would refer persons to the specific type of legal advice they require, will work using a new model specifically adapted to its national context using a combination of European good practices, and experience from the previous project. A module to train frontline advisers that will provide preliminary legal aid and have the capacity to refer cases to mediation when appropriate, will exist. A quality assurance mechanism will have been developed that enables efficient monitoring of the quality of the provided legal aid services. Lastly, specific groups will be identified for targeted campaigns to raise awareness on the advantages of mediation as an alternative method to judicial dispute resolution.
Main activities
Report and recommendations on the establishment of quality standards and a quality assurance mechanism for state ensured legal aid, also considering an increased recourse to mediation
Offering capacity building activities for those involved in providing legal aid by developing and testing a training programme in various focus areas including mediation
Design, implementation, and analysis of a pilot project using a tailored preliminary legal aid mechanism that considers the possible recourse to mediation. The quality assurance mechanism and training module above will also be tested.
Report and recommendations on how mediation can be promoted strategically, according to the needs of specific target groups, and development of materials for a communication and public awareness campaign
Project beneficiaries and stakeholders
The main partners of the project are the Ministry of Justice, the Legal Aid Administration of Latvia, the Council of Certified Mediators, and the Judicial Training Centre.
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Pilot project on primary legal aid in Latvia: training for providers
Iuliia TKACHENKO
Modified 2 Years ago.
In the framework of the project “Strengthening access to justice in Latvia through fostering mediation and legal aid services (Phase II),” funded by the EU via the Technical Support Instrument of the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the European Commission, the CEPEJ and Latvian authorities have developed a pilot project offering state-ensured primary legal aid. This pilot project will occur in six locations: Riga, Liepāja, Dobele, Madona, Kuldīga, and Sigulda. It aims to help persons with basic legal tasks such as filling important forms, or refer them to more advance legal assistance if it is required.
In order to implement the pilot project in October, a training was organised with the support of the CEPEJ on 20 September at the Municipal Training Centre in Riga for the persons who will be providing this primary legal aid. The training was aimed at law students, workers from municipal social services, and NGOs in order to prepare them for the pilot project. It focused on Fundamentals of civil law, criminal law and administrative law.
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