Distinguished Czech Jurists Visit Georgia to Study Judicial Training and Legal Education; Seminar to be Held at UGA Law School on January 28

Tuesday, January 25, 2000 WRITER: Blair Dorminey, European Center Director, (706) 542-7887 CONTACT: Blair Dorminey, (706) 542-7887 Distinguished Czech Jurists Visit Georgia to Study Judicial Training and Legal Education; Seminar to be Held at UGA Law School on January 28 ATHENS, Ga. -- The European Center of Georgia and the University of Georgia School of Law are jointly hosting a week-long visit by four distinguished Czech jurists beginning Monday, January 24. Their itinerary includes participation in a roundtable discussion, Central European Laws and Judicial Systems in Transition: The Case of the Czech Republic, open free to the public on Friday, January 28 from 2-5 p.m. in the law school\u27s Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom. The Czech delegation includes: Joseph Bejcek, dean of Masaryk University Law School; Frantisek Duchon, justice of the Supreme Court; Robert Fremr, justice of the High Court in Prague; and Ivana Janu, justice and vice-president of the Constitutional Court. The jurists will observe Georgia\u27s state and municipal court systems and consider the University of Georgia\u27s judicial training and legal education programs. Friday\u27s roundtable discussion will be moderated by Associate Dean and Charles H. Kirbo Professor Gabriel Wilner, executive director of the Dean Rusk Center - International, Comparative and Graduate Legal Studies. A reception will follow. The European Center of Georgia, the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education (ICJE, headquartered at UGA) and the University of Georgia School of Law\u27s Dean Rusk Center are working with the judiciary of the Czech Republic to bring Czech judges for training at ICJE. In addition, the Czech judiciary has asked Georgia for assistance in strengthening its own judicial training programs. Among the items on the busy itinerary of the Czech delegation are: briefing at ICJE; observation of jury selection and trial in a state court; a visit to the Georgia General Assembly; a meeting with justices of Georgia\u27s higher courts; a visit to a major Atlanta law firm; visits to municipal, magistrate and juvenile court; and discussions with experts on distance education, instructional technology and continuing legal education. The award-winning ICJE, directed by Richard Reaves, conducts judicial training for the state\u27s judges and court personnel. Associate Dean Wilner and Maria Gimenez, who directs programs for the Rusk Center, are working with ICJE to expand its international judicial training program. The European Center of Georgia, directed by Blair Dorminey, promotes links between Georgia and its university system to eastern Europe and central Asia. # #