In recent years, the Kingdom of Bahrain has undertaken a number of steps to reform its economy and modernize the ways in which Bahrainis do business. In 2006, Bahrain enacted the Central Bank of Bahrain and Financial Services Law, incorporating international best practices into Bahrain's regulation of its securities markets. That same year, Bahrain, together with the United States, implemented the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, signaling Bahrain's intention to bolster its position as a leading financial and trade center in the Middle East. Effective enforcement of these laws and agreements hinges upon the judiciary's capability to do so, and the fluency of Bahrain's legal community in the workings of such regimes. To address these needs, the U.S. Department of Commerce Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), in close cooperation with Bahrain's Judicial and Legal Studies Institute (JLSI) and Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, developed a year-long program of judicial education and attorney training with funding from the U.S. Department of State's Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). These efforts included four workshops designed to enhance the capacity of Bahrain's judiciary and legal community to: (1) assess and handle cases involving Bahraini companies that face commercial difficulties (e.g., reorganization, bankruptcy, and insolvency); (2) implement the legal obligations of trade agreements to which Bahrain is a party; and (3) understand major principles of intellectual property rights regimes. U.S. judges and subject matter experts led the workshops at JLSI in Manama. These advisors were recognized experts in their fields with a keen interest in volunteering their time to share their experiences with and learn from their Bahraini counterparts. To follow up on the workshops, CLDP facilitated consultations with U.S. federal judges in New York, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. in July 2009. Judges from Bahrain were selected for the U.S. consultations by submitting articles in a writing competition on the topics covered by the CLDP workshops. An independent panel selected the top entries to be published in a special edition of JLSI's journal, and the winning authors were invited to participate in the July 2009 program. The program will be an exchange of ideas on adjudicating cases that involve intellectual property rights, international contract disputes, and firms that are facing financial difficulties. Upon completion of the entire training program, Bahraini judges developed the requisite ability to efficiently and consistently adjudicate disputes affecting Bahrain's economy.