East Africa Law Society (EALS)

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The East Africa Law Society
Number 64
Haile Selassie Road
P.O. Box 6240
Arusha, Tanzania

Tel: + 255 27 250 3135

Web: http://www.ealawsociety.org

The East Africa Law Society is a membership-based regional Bar Association. Its dual membership consists of close to 6,000 lawyers from the region; as well as four national Bar Associations from the countries (Law Society of Kenya, Tanganyika Law Society, Uganda Law Society and Zanzibar Law Society). There is a likelihood the Society will increase in size due to the inclusion of Burundi and Rwanda as new members.

The Society was established in 1995 and incorporated in Tanzania, and then registered in Kenya and Uganda. The Society’s mission is ‘enhance professional standards in the delivery of legal services and to promote constitutionalism, democracy, good governance, the just rule of law and the advancement, promotion and protection of all human rights by supporting regional integration for the benefit of the people of East Africa’.

The Society’s vision is that of upholding justice through advocacy for human rights, rule of law and social responsibility in political and social institutions of governance. Further, it works closely with civil society in order to promote people’s growing choices and ability to access legal services throughout the region.

The Governing Council develops policy and programs. Some of these programs as well as membership activities are implemented through committees that are put in place by the Council. The Secretariat plays the coordination, implementation and administration function. Some of these activities include facilitation of conferences, workshops, consultation, and production of manuals for litigation, quarterly newsletter and advocacy. The following are the core programs:

  • Professional Development Program: this program focuses on the teaching, practice and harmonization of law for the East Africa region. The program works on a Common Code of Legal Practice, Conduct, Ethics and Etiquette in the region. The program also seeks to catalyze a regional Young Lawyers Exchange Program going forward.
  • Lake Victoria (Law, Environment and Sustainable Development) Program: this program distils legal, policy and judicial issues around the Lake Basin and the Nile river valley. The Law Society has also begun conducting research, documentation and networking activities. The Society has also facilitated services to stakeholders’ consultative meetings organized by the East Africa Community and the regional civil society organizations on the need for an interface mechanism between citizens of the region and their regional economic community.
  • Regional Conflict Resolution Program: this program is based on the experiences of the region around conflict management and resolution especially in areas such as Sudan and Rwanda. Hence its aim is to leverage human and intellectual resources of the Society and its diverse members to promote peace, justice and conflict resolution and the rule of law. This for the Society serves as the basis for economic stability. Under this program, the Society has already conducted and convened training workshops, and held consultative meetings on the African Union, the African Court of Justice and People’s Rights, NEPAD and APRM. The Society has also held solidarity mission in Rwanda and seeks to do the same with Sudan and Burundi.

Track Record

So far the Law Society has achieved the following:

  • East Africa Lawyers Magazine
  • East Africa Lawyers Association Practice Manual Series
  • East Africa Human Rights Reports
  • Continuing Legal Education Seminars, for example, on “Legal Practice in the new East Africa Customs union” (2005) and “Litigation in the East African Court of Justice” (2006)
  • Rwanda Solidarity Mission
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