Mexico’s Changing Criminal Justice System

As reported in the February 2007 issue of NITA Notes, NITA has entered into a partnership with Southwestern Law School, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Texas Tech University School of Law, and the ABA Section on International Law under a United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) grant to provide advocacy training to Mexican attorneys. This work was prompted by Mexico’s changing criminal justice system from a written inquisitorial to an oral adversarial system.

In January of this year, NITA’s work in Mexico was expanded by entering into an agreement with the Programa de Apoyo al Estado de Derecho (PRODOCHERO) and the USAID’s Rule of Law Project in Mexico. This agreement extends NITA’s reach even further into Mexico by inviting Mexican attorneys to attend various programs held in the U.S., by coordinating teacher training programs and other trial advocacy programs in Mexico, as well as providing translated NITA materials. These efforts are intended to assist both state and federal governments, along with law schools and practicing attorneys.

This partnership, much like the agreement with the Japanese PSIM Consortium, is an opportunity for NITA faculty to bring the NITA method abroad. If you are a fluent speaker in Spanish or Japanese, and are interested in teaching abroad, please send an e-mail to faculty@nita.org.