Digitalization of justice in focus of OSCE-supported Defence Lawyers Forum in Kazakhstan
The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan, in co-operation with the National Bar Association and NGO Legal Policy Research Centre, organized the fifth National Forum of Defence Lawyers on 27 November 2020.
Some 150 lawyers from regional bar associations, parliamentarians, representatives of the Supreme Court, Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministries of Interior Affairs and of Justice, academia, as well as local and international legal experts discussed the key trends and challenges in digitalization of justice and its impact on the legal profession.
Participants discussed issues of the ‘online’ delivery of justice during the pandemic, related fair trial safeguards, and guarantees for the independence of the legal profession in the digital era. They shared their views on the role of digital communications in connection with attorney-client privilege and confidentiality.
A lawyer from the German Federal Bar highlighted the benefits of special e-mail boxes for lawyers, while representatives of Bar Associations from the Russian Federation and Ukraine shared their experiences in digital transformation and related internal regulations. An international expert from the United Kingdom spoke about the work of online courts and related proceedings in England and Wales. Particular attention was paid to the development of ICT services in law enforcement and the judiciary in Kazakhstan.
The forum, which this year was held online, is part of the Programme Office’s long-standing efforts to strengthen the rule of law and support criminal justice reform in the host country.