A/HRC/14/26 Lawyers’ associations 37. Lawyers’ associations and bar associations have a specific interest in maintaining the integrity, appropriate skills and quality of lawyers. An important aspect in this connection is to ensure the highest standards of legal education for admission to the profession, and to maintain these high standards through continuing legal education.15 38. Lawyers play a crucial role in the promotion and protection of human rights through client representation, case approaches and legal submissions and argumentation. This facilitates the application of human rights law by the courts. 39. Judges, prosecutors, public defenders and lawyers should receive continuing education on human rights principles, norms, jurisprudence, declarations, guidelines and rules as a means of strengthening the national systems of administration of justice. In countries affected by armed conflict, training should also be provided on international humanitarian law. This should be delivered via standard courses, workshops and seminars. F. Types of education and awareness-raising Pre-service education and awareness-raising 40. At the outset, it must be noted that education and awareness-raising play a major role prior to, and throughout, the career of a judge or lawyer. In order to ensure the quality of judges’ and lawyers’ work, it is necessary in the first place to pay particular attention to the curricula at university law schools and faculties. In several States, university law courses do not follow a unified framework. In this connection, previous Special Rapporteurs have noted that in times of political transition and economic liberalization there is often a “proliferation” of law faculties which operate in the absence of an approved and unified, or at least harmonized, national curriculum.16 Furthermore, in such situations one often notes shortages of qualified teaching personnel.17 41. While in some States there is a specific entry exam and possibly a preparatory and educational period for judges to be selected for office, there is no equivalent admission procedure for lawyers. In a number of States admission to the bar is granted on the basis of a university examination in law. In view of the varying educational quality of such university examinations, this may pose a significant obstacle to the reliability and effectiveness of the professional legal counsel provided by lawyers. The introduction of a mandatory training period prior to admission to the legal profession would certainly enhance the general quality of lawyers’ services.18 Initial education 42. In some States, judges, upon entry into office, are required to participate in induction courses for the judiciary. In other States, however, owing to the lack of a harmonized framework, the length and content of such courses or initiatives depend on the tribunal or court where the judge takes up his or her duty. In most States, this initially relates to the updating of relevant knowledge in the legal area in which the judges will perform their functions. The Special Rapporteur considers that initial education should also cover basic education on the country’s human rights international obligations. Incoming judges should also be made acquainted with the impact of decisions of international or regional judicial or 15 16 17 18 10 See IBA Standards for the independence of the legal profession, article 18 h. E/CN.4/2006/52/Add.4, para. 27; E/CN.4/2006/52/Add.3, para. 55; E/CN.4/2005/60/Add.2, para. 24. Ibid. E/CN.4/2006/52/Add.4, para. 93. GE.10-12622