US funds mobile app for Sri Lankan legal professionals

The Colombo Law Society (CLS), with support from the US, recently launched a mobile application that provides members with access to online legal resources and court calendars. With court calendars and law reports at their fingertips, lawyers will be able to better serve the public.

The mobile application was funded by the US Government’s Agency for International Development (USAID) and is the first of its kind for Sri Lankan professional legal associations. Thanks to the app, busy lawyers who are CLS members will be able to access the latest educational resources on a mobile device, quickly connecting them to current research and information despite their hectic schedules, the US Embassy in Colombo said in a media release.

At an event on March 5 to launch the application, Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, Jayantha Jayasuriya, said, “I have no doubt that the mobile application that is launched today will have swift and effective access to its services and that members will enjoy all new services offered through this application.”

The application is just one component of US-funded support for Sri Lankan law professionals. The CLS also launched the 2020 edition of the Hulftsdorp Law Journal with US assistance. This journal, coupled with online legal training, provides strategic and practical tools for attorneys and law students throughout the country. The CLS, a professional association affiliated with the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, has more than 4,000 attorneys based in Colombo.

"Continuing legal education and rapid access to information are critical in helping legal professionals to align with the requirements of the fast-changing socio-economic environment of Sri Lanka and the world," said USAID Mission Director Reed Aeschliman.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, CLS pioneered online education for Sri Lanka’s attorneys and law students and developed a continuing legal education protocol to frame its future training. With support from the US, CLS has conducted 25 online legal training sessions for legal professionals and will offer intensive training to senior attorneys and workshops for junior attorneys and apprentices.