Short-Term Expert on Moot Court Training

Terms of Reference

1) Background

The Denmark-Myanmar Country Programme includes work on the Rule of Law and Human Rights in Myanmar. The work is developed through technical assistance to the Office of the Supreme Court of the Union and the Union Attorney General’s Office; the support of three universities’ Law Faculties (Dagon and East Yangon); and the improvement of the capacity of CSOs to monitor and document human rights violations and advocate for effective responses to these.

A Joint Venture (JV) comprised of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) has been contracted by the Embassy of Denmark to provide technical assistance to the Rule of Law and Human Rights programme in Myanmar. For the implementation of the programme, the JV will need the support of short-term experts with specific expertise on different issues connected to human rights education and the improvement of legal education in Law Faculties.

As part of the university component/Human Rights Education (HRE), two Legal Information Centres (LIC) at Dagon University and East Yangon University were established in 2018, and then the LIC members (law students and faculty members) were equipped with practical legal knowledge, communication skills, community outreach skills, and case management skills, etc in order to provide legal and human rights information to clients and members of the surrounding community.

Due to the success of the integration and implementation of Human Rights Education (HRE) within the Dagon University and East Yangon University as found by the Danish Ministry of the midterm review team in May 2019, the Embassy of Denmark has advised the Programme to scale-up HRE including to extend technical support to the law department of University of Mandalay (UM) as well as other universities in Myanmar under the present Denmark - Myanmar Country Programme 2016 – 2020 (CP 2016-2020). Subsequently, UM LIC was successfully formed in early Feb 2020 with 28 law students and 7 teachers based on the LIC model being exercised by DU and EYU LICs. A room has been occupied and furnished for the UM LIC to be launched when the COVID restriction is not imposed. The UM LIC members have received the capacity building training such as case management and communication skills from the program as well as built up a concrete network with relevant stakeholders and been ready for launching its operation.

2) Description of the Assignment

The law departments in Myanmar do not have the requisite skills to reach competitive levels in Asian and internationally, and this is a key objective identified by the three partner Universities under the programme. EYU, DU, and UM seeks to ensure that law lecturers have strengthened knowledge and skills of coaching Moot Court Teams and as a long-term objective integrate the moot court practice in the LL.B curriculum.

The main objectives of the moot court training are to ensure that the law lecturers have strengthened knowledge and skills to coach Moot Court teams and increased understanding of this teaching method. Further, to ensure that students participating and competing in moot court competitions receive practical legal education.

Due to the COVID-19 crisis the design of the training will need to be fitted to an online platform and the Moot Court competition is equally expected to be held online.

Most of the participants would be the law lecturers, including from the Legal Information Centres at the three partner universities. The estimated number of participants is thirty (30).

Objectives

The objectives of the assignment are:

  1. To ensure that law lecturers have strengthened knowledge of using Moot Courts as a teaching method and how to integrate this into the LL.B curriculum;

  2. 30 Law lecturers have strengthened capacity to coach student Moot Court teams;

  3. Ensure a Moot Court competition with law lecturers using new knowledge and skills completed.

Deliverables

This ToR seeks to recruit an Expert Trainer or Training Team that can effectively ensure:

  1. Provision of online training for 30 law lecturers on teaching and coaching Moot Court Teams and how to enhance student’s practical legal knowledge and skills through the Moot;

  2. Design and develop a full Moot Court Competition case for online;

  3. Coach and mentor 30 law lecturers that will be separately coaching student Moot Court Teams;

  4. During the Moot Court competition observe and evaluate law lecturers’ knowledge and skills and provide feedback

  5. Final report with recommendations for the 3 law departments and programme on how to effectively incorporate Moot Court as a teaching method into the LL.B curriculum

3) Timing and Resource Inputs Schedule, location

Output : 30-Participants (30 law lecturers from 3 universities) have strengthened knowledge of coaching moot courts as a teaching method; as well as strengthen their confidence and skills to coach students Online training

Timing/Location : 5 - 6, Oct (online platform) 2 days training

Required Resource Inputs : 1 day preparation meeting with

Hours : 3 days

Output : Develop and design the Moot Court competition and case for online delivery

***Timing/Location* :** 3 days

Hours : 3 days

Output : Coaching and mentoring of law lecturers during competition.

***Timing/Location* :** 2 sessions to each university (1:30 Min/session) Total: 6 sessions for 3 universities

***Hours* :** 3 days

***Output* :** Final report with recommendations for three law departments for integrating Moot Courts as a teaching method

Hours : 1 day

Total - 10 days

5) Person Specification

  • Degree in Law, International Relations, Political Science or related field;

  • Post-graduation degree in International Law or International Human Rights Law are preferred.

  • Experience coaching students or teachers for local and regional moot court competitions

  • Experience facilitating legal and human rights-related training

  • Experience as a Judge for Moot Court competitions is advantage but not a requirement Experience with teaching online will be an asset

  • Experience working with legal aid programs and projects in developing countries.

  • Knowledge of the Myanmar justice system and its context a distinct advantage.

A team of 2 Experts can also be employed provided that sufficient justification and clear demarcation of responsibilities for the deliverables are outlined.

This vacancy is archived.

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