Law students hone their public presentation skills on legal aid at OSCE-supported training course in Moldova

The OSCE Mission to Moldova organized a follow-up training event Vadul-lui-Vodă on 13 and 14 May 2016 for 14 law students from Bălţi, Cahul, Chişinău and Comrat aimed at raising public awareness of state guaranteed legal aid in Moldova.

Following on from a previous event held in April 2016, where the law students were trained on how to present information about the national legal aid system to the public, this latest event gave the participants the opportunity to act out their draft presentations and receive detailed feedback. In particular, the students learned how to make the lectures more interactive and informative for an audience that may be less familiar with legal terminology. Special emphasis was placed on avoiding prejudice and the perpetuation of stereotypes, including biased concepts about gender roles and people with disabilities. 

“I especially liked the fact that after our presentations the trainers provided detailed input for each participant on how to improve our performance,” said Maria Marin, a law student from Cahul. 

Following the training event, several teams of law students and paralegals will conduct lectures in rural communities throughout Moldova with the aim of extending the reach of free legal services beyond urban centres. 

The training event is part of a project implemented jointly by the OSCE Mission to Moldova and the Chisinau-based Institute for Penal Reform that aims to ensure that citizens have access to legal information and are able to assert their rights.