Erik Jensen argues for the power of legal education in Kurdistan

Erik Jensen, professor of the practice of law at the Stanford Law School (photo: Linda Cicero)

Three years ago in Erbil, ERIK JENSEN, professor of the practice of law and director of the Rule of Law Program, was sitting in the kitchen of Barham Salih, the former prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the founder of American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS). Together with Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and ELI SUGARMAN (SLS JD ’09), they toasted a partnership between Stanford Law School and the American University of Iraq, Sulimaniya to develop a law program known as the Iraq Legal Education Initiative (ILEI).

Last spring, the first law course at AUIS was finally offered.

Jensen says the partnership is strong, and includes support from DAWN DEKLE, president of AUIS and SLS JD ’99. Two additional courses are scheduled to be rolled out this coming academic year—but funding is now in question.

In a piece in Stanford Lawyer, Jensen says Dekle recently emailed him about the current state of affairs in Kurdistan generally and at AUIS specifically. The situation in Kurdistan is improving with U.S. air support. However, because the KRG has had to direct all of its liquid funds to the Peshmerga to fight the Islamic State invasion and to the escalating refugee crisis, it cannot make its annual contribution to AUIS. AUIS has to dramatically slash its budget. The first step is to cut courses not absolutely required for students to graduate. The two ILEI classes are on the chopping block unless $10,000 ($5,000 per class) can be raised.

Read more in Stanford Lawyer.