On October 30 and 31, CLDP implemented a workshop on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms for 127 judicial candidates in Baku, Azerbaijan. Organized in coordination with the Justice Academy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the workshop provided an overview of ADR and the role of judges in the ADR process, including pre-trial conferencing, referrals to different types of ADR mechanisms, and enforcement of settlement agreements. The Hon. Barrington D. Parker, a United States Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York, and the Hon. J. Paul Oetken, United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York, served as experts for the workshop alongside Mr. Ruslan Mirzayev, an attorney at Adrem Law and an expert on ADR in Azerbaijan.  After the workshop, Judge Parker and Judge Oetken participated in public diplomacy speaking engagements arranged by the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan, including a meeting of the legal committee of the American Chamber of Commerce (Azerbaijan chapter) and a question and answer session with law students at Baku State University, which produces about 95% of Azerbaijan’s lawyers.

The workshop, along with CLDP’s previous workshop in June 2017, comprised part of the Justice Academy’s one-year curriculum for judicial candidates. It is part of a multi-phase effort by CLDP and US Embassy Baku to build capacity of the judiciary in Azerbaijan.