Consistent with its vision to promote and foster criminal justice reform and rule of law initiatives, IBJ has launched Communities of Conscience, a large-scale program designed to mobilize and unite the legal communities in developed countries around the world to advance the state of indigent defense in emerging nations.As a pilot initiative of Communities of Conscience, IBJ joined forces with the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS) and several Washington , D.C. law firms to launch the Chinese Defender Training for Trainers Program (the “Chinese Defender Program”). The program involves training Chinese public defenders in both advocacy and training skills. These Chinese defenders are at the forefront of the effort in China to further the rule of law by promoting greater access to justice.

The initial phase of the Chinese Defender Program commenced on January 20, 2007 in Washington , D.C. and included an intensive two-week training session for an eight member Chinese legal team culminating with a series of mock trials and other training exercises. A graduation ceremony for these lawyers was held on February 2, 2007 at Venable LLP.

The second phase of the program will commence shortly after the lawyers return to China where during 2007 they will train hundreds of other public defenders. In this way, International Bridges to Justice and its D.C. partners will ensure that the program will both train a core team of lawyers to advocate for their individual clients more effectively and have a broader impact on the development of China ‘s criminal justice system. The Program is designed to serve as a national model for replication in other cities such as New York , Boston , San Francisco and Los Angeles .

As a kick-off for the program, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hosted these defenders at the U.S. Supreme Court on January 21. Venable managing partner Karl Racine, a former public defender and current board member of PDS connected IBJ to PDS. Peter Krauthamer, PDS’s Deputy Director, and Renee Raymond , PDS’s Training Director, have played a key role in designing and implementing an outstanding training program. In addition, PDS has donated the use of its state-of-the-art training facility for the training sessions. “PDS is one of the premier public defender programs in the country and has an outstanding training program. It is a privilege for Venable to collaborate with PDS and IBJ in providing high caliber training to promote the rule of law in China ,” said Racine .

According to Karen Tse , IBJ’s President, “IBJ’s Chinese Defender Program is an inspiring step in the establishment of an international legal community, which is critical to build support for the rights of the accused everywhere. IBJ is developing this program for public defenders from all developing countries, to support these courageous defenders to play a more active role in the criminal justice process thereby ensuring greater access to justice.”

Christie S. Warren of IBJ, stated, “This was the inaugural program in IBJ’s newly-founded GDS Program. We are delighted with the success of the program and are grateful for the generous assistance of PDS, the participating law firms, and the many individuals who have contributed, all of whom have set a high standard for the future Communities of Conscience programs that will take place around the country.”

Participating law firms and other organizations include Arnold & Porter, Dickstein Shapiro, Geotext Translations, Inc., Hogan & Hartson LLP, International Senior Lawyers Project, Lex Mundi, Steptoe & Johnson LLP, Venable LLP, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP, and Zuckerman Spaeder LLP. Funding for the program has been provided by the Venable Foundation, Justice Ventures International, and individual contributions.