The Catholic University of America

July 24, 2008

CUA Law School Dean Visits Republic of Georgia

On July 18 and 19, Veryl Miles, dean of CUA's Columbus of Law, participated in a conference on "Judicial Independence and Legal Education: Two Pillars of a Democratic Legal System" held in the Republic of Georgia.

The conference was jointly sponsored with the Supreme Court of Georgia, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

An experienced ABA accreditation site team member and a recent appointee to the Accreditation Committee of the ABA Section on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar, Miles was invited to consult with the legal educators of the Republic of Georgia regarding law school accreditation system models.

The conference was part of an ongoing initiative to assist the legal community in Georgia with its efforts to restructure and to implement reforms to its judicial system and to enhance the quality of its legal education program. Participants in the conference included lawyers, judges and legal educators from Germany, Estonia, Romania and Norway, as well as the United States.

Dean Veryl Miles (right) was a panel participant for an in-depth

discussion on different systems of law school accreditation.

The two-day conference began with a discussion of judicial reforms and initiatives covering topics such as judicial independence and impartiality, and the role of the judiciary in promoting the rule of law.

"One of the initiatives discussed during this portion of the conference was the implementation of the jury trial in criminal cases," said Miles. "This discussion was fascinating and made me appreciate how fortunate we are in the United States to have had this institution in our judicial system as long as we have."

During the second day of the conference Miles participated in a panel discussion addressing the topic "Creating a Sound Program Accreditation System." Along with Jay Conison, dean of the Valparaiso University School of Law, Miles helped facilitate a discussion regarding principles governing accreditation standards and practices, and the importance of identifying and including important stakeholders in the accreditation process. Miles also lead a discussion on curriculum design and needs in law school programs.

The dean's trip included a tour of the
Supreme Court of of the Republic of Georgia.

"The commitment of the legal community of the Republic of Georgia to establish a judicial system and legal educational program that will capture and sustain the confidence of its citizens is inspiring; it was an honor to be able to witness their efforts," said Miles.

Miles says she will continue to communicate with the legal educators in the country to share information regarding the workings of the accreditation system in the United States as well as information about curricular design and development.