A two-day international scientific and practical conference  "Development of Legal Clinical Education and the Free Legal Aid System" took place in Tashkent. It was organized in collaboration with the Tashkent State University of Law and our Rule of Law Partnership project in Uzbekistan. 

Conference participants discussed Uzbekistan’s current system of free legal aid and clinical legal education, drawing on international best practices in developing recommendations for improving the national system and to review the draft Law on Free Legal Aid.

The Development of Legal Clinical Education and the Free Legal Aid System conference featured presentations on the state of the system of free legal aid and legal clinical education in Uzbekistan. These presentations helped identify problems in the organization and development of the existing systems, showcase international best practices and put forward recommendations for improving mechanisms of legal regulation and administration in Uzbekistan.

The draft Law on Free Legal Aid, including its subject, content, objectives, and prospects for application, and the opportunities it would present, were discussed in relation to Uzbekistan and foreign countries. Topics including the provision of free legal assistance, advocacy, legal clinics, online consultations, citizen’s appeals, and the reception of citizens by judges as they relate to the draft law were highlighted and debated at the conference.

The overall goal of the Rule of Law Project is to strengthen public access to and trust in Uzbekistan’s judicial system, focusing on criminal, economic, administrative and civil courts.