Resources
It’s a Small World, After All
by Ellen Marshall

Thankfully, our organization’s title, The National Association of State Judicial Educators, does not fully describe our evolution into being JBE (Judicial Branch Educator) experts around the world. Many of our colleagues have worked in either short or long term international assignments and have had amazing experiences. From the beginning of NASJE’s history, judicial branch founding educators like: Paul Li, retired CJER director; Dennis Catlin, Michigan JEO and now Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Northern Arizona University (Tucson). Tony Fisser, retired Connecticut JEO and now president of his own consulting company; and Larry Stone, retired Ohio JEO who consulted six times in Ukraine over a four year period and once in China for three weeks as part of a delegation, have used their expertise to assist developing judicial systems to create a judicial education function. We polled our membership to locate JBE’s working internationally to tell us about how they employ their JBE skills in other cultures, how that work has changed their perspective, and how they access NASJE resources in their consultancies.

This is the first of two articles describing how the JBEs transfer expertise learned through their professional development and experience in the U.S. to another legal culture. The author will relate the practical aspects of taking international consultancies, like pay and taking time off from full time state jobs, to the more philosophical considerations like how these consultancies transform their lives. We will go from the general to the specific experience, as we educators tend to do on a daily basis.

NASJE members were polled on the JERITT listserv to determine how many of us worked internationally. From those responses, the author asked questions about the experience and from that colloquy, this article emerged.

Generally, NASJE consultants work either on a pro-bono basis or a fee basis, depending on the length of the project and the nature of the consulting task. For example, Joe Silsby (JEO Missouri) says that CEELI will pay only transportation and per diem sustenance allowances to their consultants. On the other end of the continuum, Mary Frances Edwards (formerly with the National Judicial College), now works full time in Egypt for the National Center for State Courts on a project with AMIDEAST and receives a salary and benefits, as well as generous annual time off to get home.

Those who have full time jobs in the U.S. often have to negotiate either using accrued vacation time to work internationally or take administrative leave. Probably, there are variations in that continuum, for example, using some earned leave and administrative time. Speaking from this author’s D.C. Court experience, the Executive Officer ( D.C.’s equivalent of SCA) saw this as a compliment to our court that its JEO would be solicited to work internationally. She used administrative leave for the entire consultancy.

It should be noted, however, that all of these projects are funded by governmental or not-for-profit organizations that receive U.S. government (often through USAID’s Rule of Law grants) or United Nations Development Program money to support their project goals. And, as a rule of thumb, even if the entity is only paying transportation and sustenance per diems, they will place you in a Business or First Class seat on the flights if your travel time is longer than twelve hours. Try a coach seat to Cambodia or some other faraway place and you’ll see the wisdom in that policy.

The practical considerations aside, however, several JEOs who have worked in other cultures, describe the immense gratification they experience from interacting with colleagues in other parts of the small world in which we live and work. Mary Fran Edwards writes:

Working abroad is extremely rewarding. There is nothing like living in place to get to know the culture and customs. I am fortunate that both countries in which I have been assigned have strong ex-patriate communities where I can meet other people with similar interests and backgrounds.

In answer to this author’s question about life-changing consultancies, Joe Silsby replies:

I don't think any of my experiences were as dramatic as "life changing." I relearned that people are afraid of the unknown (many, if not most, Americans) and assume that you should be too. It confirmed things that I already knew, that people are people, that people from the Middle East (as well as Asians) don't question your assertions in order to "save face," and once in a while there is a shy shinning star in your class that wants to know more but is not sure how to approach you.

Debra Koehler, currently working for Maryland’s Judicial Institute, speaks with much emotion about her work with Kosovar leaders in the Hope Fellowship Program. Recently, she described how her work there created life-long concerns for the nebulous political status of her friends in Kosova:

I worry about them all the time. What must they be going through, with the UN not giving their country independence? I am afraid they are facing more bloodshed if the matter is not resolved. Look what happened in Bosnia.

International consultancies can last for a few days or for years: Joe Silsby describes his African consultancy:

The first program I presented was for clerks in Morocco (Casablanca and Marrakech) and the second program was for judges in Algeria (Algiers). For the two programs in Morocco, I co-presented with a fellow from Kansas who spoke on transactional analysis. These two programs lasted three days each. In Algeria I was the sole presenter for the three day period.

Ernie Borunda writes: “As you know I was overseas until October 2006. I have done two additional short term assignments in the past year.” {Note: Until 2006 Ernie (formerly a judge in California and then Academic Dean for the National Judicial College) worked in long term consultancies.}

In the same vein, several JBEs from California (CJER and California AOC) describe their work in Macedonia. Maggie Cimino writes that “I was in Macedonia as faculty for a Judicial Faculty Development course for 2 weeks in May 2005.“ Claudia Fernandez also taught short term for Ernie Borunda’s faculty training project in Macedonia, led the Macedonian rule of law project for Chemonics, and lived in Macedonia for two years.

Diane Cowdrey of Utah tells us that “I traveled to Macedonia in spring 2006 to do some judicial training for Ernie Borunda.

Pat Murrel describes her short-term consultancies a follows “…I have worked in Macedonia twice, Morocco twice, Jordan and Canada several times. This October I will be on the program for International Organization for Judicial Training (IOJT) in Barcelona.” {Note: Pat doesn’t include the length of time she spent in each country}.

JEOs perform a gamut of adult education functions when they work abroad. Mary Fran Edwards describes this variety:

In general, I am an advisor instead of being an implementer. There are several areas in which I have concentrated in Mongolia and Egypt: Training of Trainers (I can teach the Basic myself but usually utilize local PhDs for advanced issues, thereby ensuring long term sustainability), helping with curriculum development (including learning objectives and encouraging course materials), use of sophisticated audio visual aids, and enhancing staff capacities through in-house training. Everything is aimed towards enhancing capacity and creating sustainability so that enhancements can be maintained after the project is over. For instance, we are assisting with expertise and funding the development of a new web site for the judicial studies center here. We will also provide web site maintenance training so the center can sustain the web site on its own. I am still working with judges who are experts on the law and decide the content of course. Both myformer and current projects also do study tours to the USA or third countries to study court automation, case management, and other issues. I am a designer and sometimes an escort instead of host for study tours.

I guess the key difference is thatalmosteverything involves a training element, even if it is only OJT, to ensure that enhancements will be sustained.For instance, the judicial center library was using an obsolete Dewey Decimal system 20 years old. We brought in aconsultant who had a crew reorganize and recode in the up-to-date Dewey system. We then hired an expert through the American Universityof Cairo to train the center's own librarians on how to code.My JE team is now working with an outside data entry vendor to computerize the entire card catalog.The JE Team will then hire someone to train the center librarians on how to enter new items into the system. Here in Egypt, my department also organizes and monitors computer training for court staff because another section of the project is automating some of the courts. In Mongolia, the projectIT Team trained the court staff themselves, andmy JE team had nothing to do with it.

Why should full time JEOs consider an international consultancy?

Joe Silsby explains:

I would certainly welcome the opportunity to teach overseas again and I think everyone should consider it. We live in a global society and to understand the global society it is imperative to travel and to see things from a different point of view.

In this author’s on-line interview with Mary Fran, I asked: “Would you share with your NASJE colleagues an insight you gained or a life changing experience you had that was a direct result of this work?”

Her reply:

I have come to be more sensitive to other cultures and respect other cultures’ standards and customs more. Living abroad also bashed cultural stereotypes. For instance, Mongolians have one of the highest literacy rates in the world and are the most cultured people I have never encountered. Every Mongolian has been to the opera or ballet, and the contemporary paintings and sculpture are magnificent.

What should be NASJE’s legacy to the international justice community?

Joe Silsby replies that there is more to judicial education than educating judges.

Mary Fran Edwards reflects that NASJE should be:

Encouraging NASJE members to take foreign assignments, especially those who are retired and have flexible schedules. NASJE members on vacation should make an attempt to contact local judicial education centers; it will enrich their travel experience.

From its earliest days NASJE members have shared best practices in JBE with their colleagues in other parts of the globe. In this article current members have recounted the practical expediencies of international work as well as the life-enhancing benefits of engaging with another culture. The next issue will include information about the resources JEOs tap into while working internationally and address any specific questions readers ask about this rewarding work.

Ellen Marshall has worked as director of both the Maryland and District of Columbia Court Education and Training Divisions. She followed her heart to work for the Hope Fellowship Program in Kosova from 2003-2005 and to start her own adult education company, Eureka! Contact Ellen with questions or ideas for the next article in this series at Eurekacompany@aol.com

Copyright 1999-2012, National Association of State Judicial Educators
Contact Web Developer