DLA Piper New Perimeter - Increasing Access to Justice in Namibia
1. 5/16/2016 DLA Piper New Perimeter Increasing Access to Justice in Namibia
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Posted on 19 July 2011 by Aaron T. Goodman (DLA Piper, Phoenix) | Comments 1
Home From the Field Blog Increasing Access to Justice in Namibia
Increasing Access to Justice in Namibia
One of the many reasons I was drawn to DLA Piper is the firm’s dynamic international presence. In particular, I was
intrigued by the idea of DLA’s wholly integrated nonprofit affiliate – New Perimeter. Thus, when New Perimeter
announced its Access to Justice Project in Namibia, in April 2010, I submitted my application to participate the very
next day. As a litigation associate in DLA Piper’s Phoenix office, I saw the project as a onceinalifetime
opportunity to get involved in public interest legal work with significant impact and international reach.
Since then I have worked with an international team of DLA Piper lawyers, headed by Andrew Valentine
(Managing Partner, Silicon Valley), to draft a legal manual based on newly developed Namibian law that will be
used as a primary legal resource for the members of the Namibian Paralegal Association (the “NPA”). The NPA is
an association of paralegals, but the term “paralegal” is used differently than in the US. The NPA is a volunteer
organization comprised of local leaders throughout the country who provide legal forms, advice and referrals to the
majority of the population.
The manual we are developing is intended to educate and guide NPA paralegals, many working in outlying rural
communities cut off from the resources and information available in Windhoek, Namibia’s capital city. For many
Namibians, the NPA is their only resource for accessing legal knowledge, including information about their
individual rights.
During the first year of the project, our team researched applicable Namibian and international law, and outlined
and developed the first draft of the manual. Although guided by NPA staff, this draft was missing direct input from
paralegals in the field. Accordingly, in late April/early May 2010, we conducted seven days of incountry, faceto
face meetings and interviews with NPA paralegals. This time spent incountry was both informational and
enlightening.
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