The Dubai Judicial Institute (DJI), a leading centre of law studies and judicial training in Dubai, is organising the International Judiciary Training Program (IJTP) from the University of Georgia from November 10 to 12, 2009 at the Institute’s Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hasher Hall. The program will share the US experience in caseflow management and judicial leadership to assist in the development of the Emirates’ judiciary.

To be held under the theme ‘Caseflow Management – USA Experience,’ the training sessions mark the first time that IJTP is partnering with a foreign organisation (DJI) and providing training outside the US. Prominent speakers will include Judge Doris Downs, Chief Judge, Fulton County Superior Court, Atlanta Judicial Circuit; Judge David Emerson, Current member of the Georgia Supreme Court Technology Advisory Committee & member of the Judicial Counsel of Georgia; and Mark Beer, Registrar of the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts.

“This landmark event will usher in a new age in the UAE’s judicial system, bringing to the fore the best technologies and techniques for optimising and expediting the dispensation of justice. Our partnership with the University of Georgia brings us a step closer to establishing the DJI as a premier regional and international education and training institution for aspiring judges and public prosecutors. We have seen rapid growth in our judicature over the years, so IJTP provides us with the perfect opportunity to properly direct our efforts in our field,” said Dr. Jamal Alsumaiti, Director General of Dubai Judicial Institute.

“Organising this training program is in line with our vision and strategy to implement the best judicial practices and reinforce the position of Dubai Judicial Institute as a regional center for excellence in judicial and legal studies. Dubai Judicial Institute is the first institute in Middle East to offer such a specialised training program in judicial studies, and the participation of director generals of UAE courts and the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs in Bahrain reflects the significance of this training program to further enhance the quality of judiciary in the region,” added Dr. Alsumaiti.

Speakers at the training program will explain the management of routine and complex civil or criminal cases; particular considerations when handling the routine criminal case; implementing knowledge economy principles through judicial practices; the use of case count data in trial case management and judicial administration; building and managing the finances for local court operations; and the role of the chief administrative judge. Other topics to be discussed include the integration of technology into the judicial practice; the judge’s ethical duties; judicial values; and caseflow management and policies.

The University of Georgia’s International Judicial Training Program is a collaboration between the University of Georgia School of Law’s Dean Rusk Center and the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia. Since its inception in 1998, the program has trained more than 500 judges and court personnel at the University of Georgia School Of Law. Its participants have hailed from countries such as Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana and the Czech Republic.

Established in 1996, the Dubai Judicial Institute educates and trains aspiring judges, lawyers and district attorneys. Its main goals are to promote judicial transparency, raise judicial standards and encourage promising and qualified UAE nationals to occupy key positions in the judicial system. The Institute provides legal consultancy and advice to various public and private organizations in the UAE and conducts detailed research in the legal field. Further details of the judicial program are available at www.dji.gov.ae.