With funding from the governments of Canada, the United States, Iceland, and Germany, ILF-A has offices in Kabul, Kunduz, Kandahar, Herat, Jalalabad, and Ghwor, and in early 2008, an office will open in Mazar-i-Sharif.  In other words, ILF-A will have offices in all major population centers in Afghanistan.  The underlying strategy of the NY-based ILF has been to strengthen internal operating and management systems to ensure that ILF-Afghanistan is fully able to withstand the transitional period of nationalization. 

Specific successes during this period included the following:

• Expansion in Kabul:The Kabul office has handled over 2000 cases, and its goal is to represent 50 percent of indigent detainees – men, women, and juveniles – in the city.  Such representation will impact the entire criminal justice system because trial courts would apply the law, knowing that in every other case, their decisions would be reviewed on appeal. 

• Expansion in the Provinces: ILF-Afghanistan has systematically expanded to the provinces.  From the provincial offices, ILF-A attorneys handle cases within that province and the surrounding provinces.  ILF-Afghanistan estimates that by the end of 2008, ILF-A attorneys will be representing detainees in at least half of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.  All attorneys who work in ILF-A’s provincial offices have spent about six months of intensive training in the Kabul office.

• Kunduz: ILF-A’s first provincial office opened in Kunduz in November 2004. Since then, ILF-A/Kunduz has handled more than 450 cases, or about 80-90 percent of those detainees officially arrested and detained in Kunduz province. The Kunduz office attorneys are also now representing detainees in nearby Takhar province.  Arrangements have been made with the Chief Judge in that province whereby trials are scheduled on two specific days a week so ILF-A attorneys can be there. This has proven to be an effective way to expand representation to more remote areas.  In June 2007, ILF-Afghanistan added one attorney to the Kunduz office responsible for representing detainees in the remote areas of Kunduz and Takhar provinces. This office now has a total of three attorneys.  ILF-A/Kunduz also conducts training workshops.

• Jalalabad: With funding from the U.S. government, ILF-A opened an office in Jalalabad in March 2006.  The office’s two attorneys have handled about 200 cases, or about 85 percent of the detainees in the province.  The attorneys in this office also represent detainees in Laghman and Kunar provinces on a referral basis.  When an additional attorney is added to this office, this should allow more regular representation in these surrounding provinces.

• Kandahar: This office opened with one attorney in April 2006, and another attorney joined the office in August of 2006.  Since its opening, ILF-A/Kandahar has handled more than 160 cases, or about 66 percent of the detainees in Kandahar.  Security concerns make the investigation of cases and expansion to surrounding provinces difficult, but the office has brought professionalism to the court system in the city.  The Chief Judge asked ILF-A lawyers to assist other lawyers trying to provide criminal defense services.  Maintaining an office in Kandahar is a challenge, but ILF-A is committed to stay despite insecurity and other obstacles.

• Herat:  The Herat office opened in June of 2006 with one attorney, and at that time, it was funded entirely by the American Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).  Today, this office is the largest of ILF-A’s provincial offices with four attorneys one of whom is a woman. This office is unique in that it has partnered with Herat University to establish a legal internship program.  In January 2007, in cooperation with the Justice Initiative of the Open Society Institute, ILF-A/Herat welcomed its first group of students, teaching them about defense advocacy and practical legal skills.  The hope is that this internship will later expand into a full-fledged clinical legal education program with the Shariat and Law Faculties of Herat University.

• Ghwor:  ILF-Afghanistan’s newest office opened in Ghwor with one attorney in May 2007.  This office is entirely funded by the Icelandic Provincial Reconstruction Team.  ILF-Afghanistan believes that this office can be staffed by one attorney who will be able to represent most detainees in this province, but it has recently hired a woman paralegal who will help the Ministry of Woman’s Affairs in conducting intake interviews.

• Mazar: ILF-Afghanistan expects to open its next provincial office in Mazar-i-Sharif in January 2008.  With the opening of this office, ILF-A will have a physical presence in all of the major population centers of Afghanistan.  It is anticipated that this office will open with three attorneys who will be able to represent close to 70 percent of the detainees held in Balkh province and nearby Jowzjan and Samangan provinces.

• Gender program for women lawyers: Afghan women perform extremely well in university, often crowding the top of the classes.  In the professional world, however, they have taken a back seat. ILF-Afghanistan believes that only by working with men -- with the support necessary to feel their equality -- can women achieve in the workplace as they do in university.  Only by working with qualified female colleagues will men start accepting women in leadership positions.  ILF-A is succeeding in this regard.  In 2003, the ILF interviewed only one woman lawyer willing to represent anyone accused of adultery.  It has taken four years for the office and its work to become sufficiently understood and respected to attract a number of highly qualified women lawyers and judges.  In February and August 2006, ILF-A hired two more women lawyers and one paralegal.  In November 2006, ILF-Afghanistan hired another woman attorney who was trained in Kabul and deployed to Herat.  Women attorneys and paralegals share offices with their male colleagues, make presentations to their male colleagues, and even question them in public discussions about how cases are approached.  The environment is one where women can, and do, perform. 

•  Establishment of Legal Education Pilot Project:  ILF-Afghanistan recognizes the importance of training and mentoring the next generation of Afghan legal practitioners.  In cooperation with OSI’s Justice Initiative and Herat University’s Faculties of Law and Shariat, ILF-A/Herat started an internship program for 10-12 students – including women and men– from the two schools.  The internship began in January 2007, during the students' winter break, and ended in April 2007.  The second internship of 3 months began in late April 2007. These internships are used to assess the interest of the students in participating in a practical skills program, determine the impact of student participation on ILF-A/Herat's clients and work, and expose potential problems of a future full-fledged clinical legal education program. It is anticipated that in February 2008, Herat University and ILF-A/Herat will begin the first ever clinical legal education program in Afghanistan. 

Continue with the Future ILF-Afghanistan