Pepperdine, Uganda sign Memorandum of Understanding in School of Law ceremony
Wed, Oct. 28, 2015 -- Today, Pepperdine students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends witnessed the signing of an expanded Memorandum of Understanding between Uganda and Pepperdine. The Memorandum of Understanding will extend the country and School of Law's collaboration on improving Uganda's judicial system and the rule of law in the country. A delegation of ten high-ranking Ugandans was in attendance, including: Chief Justice Bart Katureebe, Principal Judge Yorokamu Bamwine, Chief Registrar Paul Gadenya, and Director of Public Prosecutions Mike Chibita. Professor Gash led "A Conversation with the Chief Justice of Uganda" about the challenges Uganda faces and the recent successes achieved under the existing partnership with Pepperdine.
Uganda: U.S. University, Justice Sector in Exchange Deal
The Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS) recently signed an agreement with America's Pepperdine University School of Law, to develop practices and procedures for efficient management of criminal and civil cases.
The agreement is a review of an earlier one signed by Dean Kenneth Starr on behalf of Pepperdine and then Chief Justice Benjamin Odoki on behalf of the Judiciary in July 2009.
Under the new arrangement, the university will offer assistance such as consultation, attachments or exchange programmes, workshops, and other training programmes.
Pepperdine University will send lawyers to Uganda for one-week prison projects each summer. The Pepperdine lawyers and law students will collaborate with their Ugandan counterparts to conduct hands-on training and prepare cases of prisoners on remand for resolution.
Uganda will, in turn, send students for eight-week summer externships to be completed between May and July. The other option is semester-long externships to be completed during the academic semester.
"Student interns will be placed in JLOS institutions to, among other things, conduct legal research, draft rulings and judgments, prepare summaries of cases, and engage in other projects that the parties may agree on from time to time as the parties deem appropriate," the agreement reads.
The judiciary will also send members of staff to Pepperdine for attachments and capacity building training, as well as attachments to justice institutions in the United States in the areas provided for in the agreement.