Lawyers Council for Civil and Economic Rights
The Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice’s Lawyers Council for Civil and Economic Rights convenes private-practice attorneys across the Americas to support the rule of law, the critical work of civil society, and to combat corruption throughout the region. The Council consists of eighteen lawyers from the United States and thirteen Latin American countries with experience as leaders of bar associations, board members of non-governmental organizations, and pro bono practitioners.
The Lawyers Council designs and implements multilateral, region-wide initiatives to address challenges to civil and economic rights in Latin America.
- Anticorruption Initiative
The Council is convinced that corruption is one of the region’s most pressing challenges, given its complexity, intractability, and destructive effects on the rule of law. This initiative seeks systematically to map and guide legal efforts in Latin America to prevent and redress corruption, a widespread issue that handicaps business and society. The initiative expands on current practice by looking beyond formal measures at actual experience from the perspective of a broad range of lawyers.
- Strengthening Judicial Independence
The Lawyers Council views an independent judiciary as a key element of the rule of law. This initiative seeks to engage with key sectors of the legal profession in countries in Latin America to assess the processes of appointment of members of the judiciary, as well as support efforts to build institutional capacity for independent courts.
- Strengthening Civil Society
The Council seeks to identify legal impediments to operating civil society organizations independently, and free from government overreaching. These efforts are designed to rally the legal profession to strengthen the rights and resources that will allow civil society to work effectively for the common good.
Projects
Latin America Anti-Corruption Assessment 2021-2022
Available in English, Spanish and Portuguese, the report identifies legal efforts and their shortcomings in preventing and redressing corruption in seventeen countries in the region...
Read more
Mexico. Supreme Court Justices Appointments (Spanish)
The Vance Center’s Lawyers Council for Civil and Economic Rights published a call for action and a policy brief (available in Spanish) analyzing Mexico’s process for appointing Supreme Court Justices, in light of a vacancy that will occur at the end of the year. ...
Read moreMexico. Supreme Court Justices Appointments (Spanish)
The Vance Center’s Lawyers Council for Civil and Economic Rights published a call for action and a policy brief (available in Spanish) analyzing Mexico’s process for appointing Supreme Court Justices, in light of a vacancy that will occur at the end of the year.
https://vancestag.wpenginepowered.com/lawyers-council-focuses-on-judicial-appointments-in-mexico/
Latin America Anti-Corruption Assessment 2020
Available in English, Spanish and Portuguese, the report identifies legal efforts and their shortcomings in preventing and redressing corruption in eight countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Peru....
Read more
Corruption in times of COVID-19: a regional perspective on public procurement
In this report, which provides a regional update as to public procurement in the pandemic, the Lawyers Council for Civil and Economic Rights is calling on the legal community throughout the region, including lawyers in the private sector (both law firms and companies), bar associations...
Read more
Diversity for the Latin America Legal Profession
We are partnering with TalentoTotal in the TotalLAW Prep Program, a collaborative effort engaging law firms, bar associations, law schools, and pro bono clearinghouses to increase diversity and inclusion in the legal profession across the Americas....
Read more
Guatemala. Appointment process of Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Judges
2019 is a complex year in Guatemala, since for the first time in 33 years all of the three branches of government are undergoing re-selection. Members of the legal community have expressed to the Vance Center concerns about the process of judicial appointments related to potential poli...
Read moreGuatemala. Appointment process of Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Judges
2019 is a complex year in Guatemala, since for the first time in 33 years all of the three branches of government are undergoing re-selection. Members of the legal community have expressed to the Vance Center concerns about the process of judicial appointments related to potential political influence.
The Lawyers Council seeks to raise awareness of the process and promote the participation of the legal community in it, by strengthening the demand for transparency and accountability. Additionally, the Lawyers Council intends to further the discussion of needed structural reform to the judiciary in Guatemala.
A delegation of the Lawyers Council for Civil and Economic Rights undertook an assessment of the judicial appointment process in Guatemala. Delegates met with Guatemalan civil society organizations, members of the judiciary, the Association of Judges for Integrity, officers of the Guatemalan Bar Association, media representatives, and partners of principal law firms to gather information and offer recommendations on the ongoing process. Read more here.
You can read the report of the delegation in English here, and in Spanish here.
The Lawyers Council identified key considerations for the Nomination Commissions to comply with international and regional standards for the selection of members of the judiciary, based on international and regional standards as well as an analysis of comparative experience in the region. Download the document (in Spanish):
Peru. Appointment process of the National Justice Board members
The Lawyers Council identifies the process of appointment of the members of the National Justice Board as relevant for the rule of law in Peru and the Latin American region....
Read morePeru. Appointment process of the National Justice Board members
The Lawyers Council identifies the process of appointment of the members of the National Justice Board as relevant for the rule of law in Peru and the Latin American region. The National Justice Board is the new entity charged with appointing all Peruvian judges and prosecutors. The process resulted from a system-wide corruption scandal, popular referendum, and new legislation.
Last April 2019 a delegation of the Lawyers Council visited Lima to observe, and present recommendations for selecting the members of the National Justice Board. See more.
The Lawyers Council provides recommendations based on international and regional standards as well as an analysis of comparative experience in the region, to support the ongoing process and contribute to overcoming the problems of influence peddling and corruption in 2018. Download document (in Spanish):
Projects
Latin America Anti-Corruption Assessment 2021-2022
Available in English, Spanish and Portuguese, the report identifies legal efforts and their shortcomings in preventing and redressing corruption in seventeen countries in the region...
Read moreMexico. Supreme Court Justices Appointments (Spanish)
The Vance Center’s Lawyers Council for Civil and Economic Rights published a call for action and a policy brief (available in Spanish) analyzing Mexico’s process for appointing Supreme Court Justices, in light of a vacancy that will occur at the end of the year. ...
Read moreMexico. Supreme Court Justices Appointments (Spanish)
The Vance Center’s Lawyers Council for Civil and Economic Rights published a call for action and a policy brief (available in Spanish) analyzing Mexico’s process for appointing Supreme Court Justices, in light of a vacancy that will occur at the end of the year.
https://vancestag.wpenginepowered.com/lawyers-council-focuses-on-judicial-appointments-in-mexico/
Latin America Anti-Corruption Assessment 2020
Available in English, Spanish and Portuguese, the report identifies legal efforts and their shortcomings in preventing and redressing corruption in eight countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Peru....
Read moreCorruption in times of COVID-19: a regional perspective on public procurement
In this report, which provides a regional update as to public procurement in the pandemic, the Lawyers Council for Civil and Economic Rights is calling on the legal community throughout the region, including lawyers in the private sector (both law firms and companies), bar associations...
Read moreDiversity for the Latin America Legal Profession
We are partnering with TalentoTotal in the TotalLAW Prep Program, a collaborative effort engaging law firms, bar associations, law schools, and pro bono clearinghouses to increase diversity and inclusion in the legal profession across the Americas....
Read moreGuatemala. Appointment process of Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Judges
2019 is a complex year in Guatemala, since for the first time in 33 years all of the three branches of government are undergoing re-selection. Members of the legal community have expressed to the Vance Center concerns about the process of judicial appointments related to potential poli...
Read moreGuatemala. Appointment process of Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Judges
2019 is a complex year in Guatemala, since for the first time in 33 years all of the three branches of government are undergoing re-selection. Members of the legal community have expressed to the Vance Center concerns about the process of judicial appointments related to potential political influence.
The Lawyers Council seeks to raise awareness of the process and promote the participation of the legal community in it, by strengthening the demand for transparency and accountability. Additionally, the Lawyers Council intends to further the discussion of needed structural reform to the judiciary in Guatemala.
A delegation of the Lawyers Council for Civil and Economic Rights undertook an assessment of the judicial appointment process in Guatemala. Delegates met with Guatemalan civil society organizations, members of the judiciary, the Association of Judges for Integrity, officers of the Guatemalan Bar Association, media representatives, and partners of principal law firms to gather information and offer recommendations on the ongoing process. Read more here.
You can read the report of the delegation in English here, and in Spanish here.
The Lawyers Council identified key considerations for the Nomination Commissions to comply with international and regional standards for the selection of members of the judiciary, based on international and regional standards as well as an analysis of comparative experience in the region. Download the document (in Spanish):
Peru. Appointment process of the National Justice Board members
The Lawyers Council identifies the process of appointment of the members of the National Justice Board as relevant for the rule of law in Peru and the Latin American region....
Read morePeru. Appointment process of the National Justice Board members
The Lawyers Council identifies the process of appointment of the members of the National Justice Board as relevant for the rule of law in Peru and the Latin American region. The National Justice Board is the new entity charged with appointing all Peruvian judges and prosecutors. The process resulted from a system-wide corruption scandal, popular referendum, and new legislation.
Last April 2019 a delegation of the Lawyers Council visited Lima to observe, and present recommendations for selecting the members of the National Justice Board. See more.
The Lawyers Council provides recommendations based on international and regional standards as well as an analysis of comparative experience in the region, to support the ongoing process and contribute to overcoming the problems of influence peddling and corruption in 2018. Download document (in Spanish):