Students and professors from seven Egyptian university law faculties participated in a national "practice arbitration" competition, supported by the American Bar Association (ABA) and the U.S. Embassy, on April 3 and 4, 2015. The winning team and the runner-up both hailed from Menoufia University. Al Azhar Women's University and Cairo University teams secured third place.
"Egyptian citizens and businesses need well-trained lawyers to assist them in protecting their legal rights," stated Sherry Carlin, Egypt Mission Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which sponsors the program. "It is inspiring to see the commitment of these students to developing their arbitration skills."
Law faculties at Ain Shams, Al Azhar Women's, Al Azhar Men's, Cairo, Beni Suef, Menoufia, and Zagazig Universities each sent two teams to compete. Student preparation was conducted by faculty members with assistance from the ABA. Professors also held training sessions at their universities to select participants for the national event.
The National Competition is part of Egypt's partnership with the American people aimed at enhancing legal education for Egyptian law students and lawyers. Supported by USAID, ABA has integrated activities like moot competitions and legal writing into law programs to foster professional skill development. Over six years, more than 1,700 law students and young lawyers have engaged in ABA trainings and competitions as part of nearly $30 billion invested in Egypt since 1975 through USAID.