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| East African Law Society | |
|---|---|
| Name | East African Law Society |
| Formation | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Arusha |
| Region served | Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda |
| Leader title | President |
East African Law Society The East African Law Society is a regional professional association for legal practitioners active across Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Founded amid negotiations associated with the revival of the East African Community and the legal reforms following the Arusha Accords and the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, the Society engages with institutions such as the African Union, the International Criminal Court, and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa on matters of jurisprudence, human rights, and regional integration. Its work intersects with courts and tribunals including the East African Court of Justice, the International Court of Justice, and domestic apex courts like the Supreme Court of Kenya, the Courts of Tanzania, and the Constitutional Court of Uganda.
The Society was established in the 1990s as professionals influenced by events such as the Arusha Accords (1993), the consolidation of the East African Community (2000), and transitional processes in Rwanda and Sierra Leone sought regional legal coordination; early conferences featured representatives from bar associations such as the Law Society of Kenya, the Tanganyika Law Society, and the Uganda Law Society and drew comparisons with bodies like the Ghana Bar Association and the Law Society of South Africa. During the 2000s the Society engaged with processes related to the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court and contributed position papers during crises involving the Comoros and disputes adjudicated at the East African Court of Justice and arbitration under the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Its archives reflect interventions on constitutional reforms in Kenya post-2007–2008 Kenyan crisis and advisory roles in Rwanda during constitutional reviews influenced by precedents from the South African Constitutional Court and the Kenyan Constitutional Review Commission.
The Society’s objectives include promotion of professional standards modeled on the International Bar Association, advocacy for access to justice in contexts like the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa, and promotion of regional legal harmonization akin to initiatives by the East African Legislative Assembly and the COMESA Court of Justice. It provides policy inputs on instruments such as the Protocol on the East African Community Customs Union and engages in rule-of-law campaigns comparable to efforts by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International while collaborating with tribunals including the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights and networks like the International Commission of Jurists.
Membership is drawn from national bar associations like the Law Society of Kenya, the Tanganyika Law Society, the Rwanda Bar Association, the Uganda Law Society, the South Sudan Bar Association, and the Burundi Bar Association; individual members include litigators who appear before courts such as the East African Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and national supreme courts. The internal structure comprises regional chapters, subject-specific sections (constitutional law, human rights, commercial arbitration) reflecting frameworks used by the International Bar Association and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, with liaison offices that coordinate with entities such as the East African Legislative Assembly and the African Union Commission.
The Society is governed by an elected council and executive committee with officers including a President, Secretary-General, and Treasurer; past leadership has included prominent jurists, former members of national judiciaries, and academics associated with institutions like the Makerere University School of Law, the University of Nairobi, and the Iten University of Rwanda law faculties. Governance practices reference codes from the International Bar Association and have engaged eminent personalities from the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the East African Court of Justice, and former judges of the Supreme Court of Kenya and the Constitutional Court of South Africa.
Programs include continuing legal education modeled on curricula from the International Bar Association and workshops for litigators from the East African Court of Justice region, public interest litigation clinics inspired by the Kenya Human Rights Commission and the Legal Resources Foundation, and arbitration and mediation training linked to the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. The Society organizes annual conferences, regional rule-of-law missions that have visited capitals like Nairobi, Kigali, Kampala, Dar es Salaam, and Bujumbura, and advocacy campaigns on issues such as electoral disputes referenced against cases like Uganda 2006 presidential election litigation and constitutional petitions similar to those in Kenya and Tanzania.
The Society maintains relations with the African Union, the East African Community, the International Bar Association, the International Commission of Jurists, and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, and has collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Human Rights Council on mission reports. It has submitted amicus briefs to the East African Court of Justice and engaged in dialogue with the International Criminal Court and the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights on issues arising from conflicts in the Great Lakes region and post-conflict justice in Rwanda and Burundi.
Funding sources include membership dues from lawyers registered with national bars such as the Law Society of Kenya and the Uganda Law Society, grants from international partners like the UNDP, the European Union External Action Service, and philanthropic foundations paralleling the Open Society Foundations model, and project-specific support from bodies like the Commonwealth Foundation and bilateral agencies akin to USAID. The Society leverages partnerships with academic institutions such as the University of Nairobi and the Makerere University for research capacity and training resources.
Category:Legal organizations Category:East Africa