CATALAN BAR COUNCIL (Consell dels Illustres Col·legis d’Avocats de Catalunya)

The Catalan Bar Council (CICAC) is a nonprofit Legal Public Corporation that represents and coordinates the 14 Bar Councils that exist in Catalonia.  It was established in 1983, when its statues were registered in the Catalan Ministry of Justice. Represents more than 23.000 lawyers’ practitioners in Catalonia and 7.000 non- practitioners Is the entity that exercises the general representation and defense of the Profession in Catalonia. Is the body responsible for drafting rules governing the professional practice and code of ethics and best practices for the appropriate exercise of the profession in Catalonia. In its regulation stablishes as one of the main functions to train lawyers in the areas of its professional activity, moreover the Catalan Council organizes the specialization courses on gender violence, foreigners’ rights, minors’ rights and rights of imprisoned people, that allow Catalan lawyers to exercise in legal ai

MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY (Universiteit Maastricht)

Maastricht University (UM) is the most international university in the Netherlands and, with more than 16,000 students and 4,000 employees, is still growing. The university stands out for its innovative education model, international character and multidisciplinary approach to research and education. Thanks to its high-quality research and study programmes as well as a strong focus on social engagement, UM has quickly built up a solid reputation. Today it is considered one of the best young universities in the world.

Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law at Maastricht University is a top-quality provider of challenging and rewarding legal education at bachelor’s, master’s and PhD-level. It provides an exceptionally inspiring environment for both students and staff. 

Maastricht is different from any other law school:

• A pioneer in small-scale teaching and teaching of skills. At Maastricht all courses are taught in small groups and with use of innovative teaching methods, allowing for a unique learning experience in tutorials, moot courts and 21st century technology
• An distinctively informal yet rigorous atmosphere in the centre of Maastricht with easily accessible and highly dedicated staff
• A truly diverse and international community of staff and students; foreign students make up for almost 45% of our total student population, which makes us by far the most international law faculty in the Netherlands
• Ample attention for the European and comparative dimension of law, where necessary firmly rooted in national law and taught by some of the world’s leading experts
• Excellent employment possibilities after graduation
• A clear focus in research on European and international aspects of the law, human rights, migration and the empirical setting in which the law operates
• Consistently high rankings in national and international surveys for our bachelor- and master programmes and research

HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORING INSTITUTE (Viesoji Istaiga Zmogaus Teisiu Stebejimo Institutas)

Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit public advocacy organization. Since its establishment in 2003, HRMI has been advocating for full compliance of national laws and policies with Lithuania’s international human rights obligations and working to ensure that human rights are real and effective in practice.

The team of HRMI lawyers and public policy experts carries out research, drafts legal and policy briefings, compiles reports to international human rights bodies, undertakes strategic cases before domestic and international courts, provides expert consultations and legal services, engages in various national and international projects, delivers conventional and distance trainings to law enforcement officers and other professionals

IRIDIA ASSOCIATION, CENTER FOR THE DEFENSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS (Associació Iridia, Centre oper la defensa dels drets humans)

Irídia – Centre for the Defence of Human Rights was born in October 2015 with the aim of defending Human Rights in Catalonia within the framework of institutional violence. Irídia has the objective of creating a stable, close and independent structure working for the defense of Human Rights under a comprehensive and intersectional perspective and with a vocation for social transformation.

Through the Service of Attention and Reporting in Situations of Institutional Violence (SAIDAVI), which is the cross-cutting mechanism of Irídia, we develop a comprehensive intervention before violations of rights by combining legal strategy and psychosocial support to those affected. In cases where agreed, a communication plan is added to the intervention to carry out strategic litigations. These strategic litigations are linked to the development of politic and social advocacy processes that aims to promoting changes in public policies through which the standards of protection of Human Rights could be raised.

In addition to SAIDAVI, Irídia has specific working areas, among others, the area for criminal procedure’s guarantees and rights of the accused. Its aim is to ensure that fundamental rights of detained or imprisoned persons are guaranteed throughout the whole criminal procedure. This work includes support for training of different agents that take part in the procedure, as well as promoting public debate and social and political impact to achieve the correct implementation by the institutions of European and national regulations.

EUROPEAN LEGAL INTERPRETERS AND TRANSLATORS ASSOCIATION (EULITA)

EULITA, the European Legal Interpreters and Translators Association, is committed to promoting the quality of justice, ensuring access to justice across languages and cultures and thus, ultimately, guaranteeing the fundamental principles of human rights as enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

EULITA aims to strengthen and to represent the interests and concerns of the associations and their members vis-à-vis national, European and international organisations and institutions, to promote the establishment of associations of legal interpreters and translators in member states where as yet they do not exist, to promote close cooperation with academic institutions in the field of training and research and to encourage the establishment of national and EU-wide registers of qualified legal interpreters and translators, while at all times respecting the diversity of judicial systems and cultures.

EULITA is further committed to promoting quality in legal interpreting and translation through the recognition of the professional status of legal interpreters and translators, the exchange of information and best practices in training and continuous professional development and the organisation of events on issues such as training, research, professionalism, etc. thus promoting judicial cooperation and mutual trust by the member states in each other’s systems of legal interpreting and translation.
EULITA, finally, aims to promote cooperation and best practices in working arrangements with the legal services and legal professionals.

THE POLISH BAR COUNCIL (Naczelna Rada Adwokacka)

The Polish Bar Council (NRA) is established to provide legal aid, cooperate in protection of civil rights and freedoms and in shaping and application of law. It is an institution of self-government of advocates, who perform a profession of public trust. The Polish Bar Council takes care of due fulfillment of advocates’ professional duties – in accordance with and for the purpose of protecting the public interest. 

The Polish Bar Council has several competences such as:

– representation of the Bar,
– supervision over both the activities of the District Bar Councils and the  education of advocate trainees,
– examining revocations of resolutions made by District Bar Councils,
– presenting opinions on projects of acts of law as well as motions and postulates within the domain of shaping and application of law,
– determine principles of advocates’ profession, studies of advocate trainees, functioning of District Bar Councils, and cooperation with the foreign bars. 

The Polish Bar Council can organize its activities within the commissions working in specific fields.

One of such commissions is the Commission of Human Rights of the Polish Bar Council – responsible for the activities in the filed of human rights.

The members of the Commission of Human Rights are actively involved in the implementation of the NETPRALAT project.