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<abstract xmlns="http://eprints.org/ep2/data/2.0">The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into the development of legal&#13;
education in Georgia in its transition to becoming a democratic country. It is&#13;
important to clarify at the outset that the emphasis here is on developing a viable&#13;
structure and system for legal education as opposed to a theoretical basis for the&#13;
development of a new legal order. Such a fundamental doctrinal exercise would form&#13;
the academic and intellectual basis of an entirely different paper. In establishing a&#13;
viable system of legal education, a significant challenge is to reconcile the education&#13;
of professionals with the underlying difficulty arising where governments have sought&#13;
to determine professional education from ideological positions. The Georgian&#13;
government is producing reform proposals which have to be considered in terms of&#13;
the most expedient processes for implementation. It is therefore necessary to develop&#13;
reforms which construct a new framework to facilitate and promote the incorporation&#13;
of aspects of legal education which hitherto have been unknown. Fundamental&#13;
principles have to be determined such as recognition of the rule of law, as well as the&#13;
knowledge and training best suited to developing a coherent and properly established&#13;
legal profession. The whole reform process can be hindered without the presence of well-qualified professionals. It is therefore crucial to ensure the integrity of&#13;
establishing this body of professionals who are well-placed to take reforms forward.&#13;
There is of course the obvious paradox in terms of the country needing the best&#13;
professionals whilst at the same time putting reforms in place to achieve that. There&#13;
are great possibilities and Georgia is in the position of considering systems and&#13;
structures which best suit its needs in establishing reform of the educational&#13;
infrastructure in which professionals can develop. The paper identifies some key&#13;
issues and themes which provide an insight into the possibilities. It focuses on three&#13;
main areas: the changing nature of the constitution and the need for reform, the&#13;
United Kingdom framework as a possible model for consideration in establishing a&#13;
process of implementation, and aspirations for the future. It is self evident that&#13;
Georgia is experiencing a period of significant development and change in terms of&#13;
shaping a system for legal education which is significantly more advanced even now&#13;
than when this work began. It continues to be in the process of being formed and there&#13;
are many influences on its shape. The authors, having worked together, acknowledge&#13;
there are limitations in terms of producing a fully comprehensive joint paper based on&#13;
a period of such complex transition and change. </abstract>
