Improving legal aid has been an important component of EWMI’s justice reform work in Cambodia. Under PRAJ II, EWMI continues to provide assistance to the government to implement the legal aid strategy of their Legal and Judicial Reform Action Plan, expand the reach of legal aid services, and strengthen the capacity of Cambodia’s existing legal aid NGO providers. EWMI has awarded grants to four local partners who provide legal aid to indigent clients: Legal Aid of Cambodia (LAC), Cambodia Defenders Project (CDP), Legal Services for Children and Women (LSCW), and the Samreth Law Group (SLG), an innovative new public interest law firm founded by young lawyers who honed their skills through PRAJ’s public interest legal advocacy initiative. EWMI has also provided the Women’s Media Center (WMC) a grant to create a new six-part television series designed to educate Cambodians about their legal system at work.

EWMI facilitates the first “Legal Aid Leadership Forum,” a PRAJ II initiative designed to provide a venue for the leaders of legal aid service providers to discuss common issues and problems. An initial Forum discussion focused legal aid lawyer recruitment and retention issues. EWMI also continues to support the Legal Aid Lawyer Working Groups, regular gatherings in Phnom Penh, Battambang and Siem Reap that attract more than half the legal aid lawyers in Cambodia. The meetings allow practitioners to discuss common problems and share information, and also serve as an effective vehicle for formal continuing legal education and refresher skills training.