OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine trains newly-appointed judges in drafting quality court decisions on criminal and civil matters

More than 120 newly-appointed local court judges from across Ukraine participated in four OSCE-supported training sessions on opinion writing in criminal and civil matters held from 14 September to 30 October 2015 in the cities of Odesa, Chernivtsi, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv.

Judges from neighbouring regions, including the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, also participated in the courses, which were organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine and the National School of Judges.

The training courses aimed at helping participants to master legal writing techniques. Four two-day training sessions focused on the criteria for quality court decisions, the structure, motivation and reasoning in civil and criminal proceedings. The training methodology was based on interactive techniques and included discussions, case studies, mini-lectures, various exercises and screenings of short simulation videos on the topic.

The course was initially piloted among judges of appellate courts at a “train-the-trainer session”, thus creating a pool of more than 30 judges-trainers who then delivered training courses for their colleagues – newly-appointed judges of the first instance courts.

To ensure the sustainability of OSCE efforts, the training course will be submitted for institutionalization at the National School of Judges by the end of the year. This course will form part of the School’s mandatory curriculum for every judge appointed to the post.

The training sessions were part of a project of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine to enhance the quality of judicial education and training.