Leaders for Justice 2024 – Second Week

Following the first week held in Lebanon, the second week of the Leaders of Justice program, led by Project Manager Paul Saadeh, continued in a similar setting. The 14 young jurists resumed their journey to leadership!

During the second week, legal and soft skills were enhanced and improved. Over the course of four days, the trip to Berlin consisted of a series of training sessions, closed discussions and official visits, on which a brief can be found hereafter:

1 ) Training sessions:

• “Purpose and Vision”, a session given by Mr. Masiar Nashat, trainer for Customer Centered Innovation and a Start-Up Coach, in addition of being Co-Founder of the Rainmaker tribe. As the title of the session shows, the latter focused on vision, mission, values and purpose – it intended to strengthen one’s self-reflection.
• “Future skills and Innovation”, this session was given by Dr. Martin Schwemmle, a transformation expert, founder and CEO of the Future Company. This session aimed to leverage the human potential and to prepare the participants’ mindset for the future.
• “Vocal Empowerment”, this practical session was given by Mrs. Simone Dorenburg, a voice coach and speech therapist, director and founder of Simone Dorenburg company. This session focused on how one can master his/her own voice, speech and presence.

2) Official visits:

• The RAUE Law Firm, where we had a meeting with Atty. Friedrich Tobias Schöne, Attorney and Partner at the RAUE PartmbB. One of the main tackled topics were the tasks of a German lawyer and the structure of Bar Associations in Germany.  
• The criminal court of Berlin “Kriminalgericht” – the biggest criminal court in Europe. We met Judge Marc Spitzkatz, with whom we had an introduction to the German judiciary system and court organization.
• The German Parliament “Deutscher Bundestag”, where we had a meeting with MP Paul Ziemiak, a German politician and Member of Parliament of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He is also the head of the German Lebanese parliamentary group. An open discussion took place and was followed by an excursion to the German Parliament.

Either ‘training sessions’ and ‘official visits’ were not only theoretical, but also practical – dynamic and interactive. The floor was always open for debate and Q&A.

A legal workshop highlighting case problems from Lebanon and Germany featured Mr. Philipp Bremer, Director of the KAS Rule of Law Programme Middle East and North Africa. This workshop allowed the group to have a closer look on the German perspective, especially when dealing with legal topics and issues, stressing the importance of research and based decisions.

Furthermore, the second crew of Leaders for Justice had the chance to meet with KAS officials, namely: Dr. Franziska Rinke - Coordinator of the International Rule of Law Programes at the KAS, Mrs. Caroline Kanter - Deputy Head of the Department of European and International Cooperation, Dr. Thomas Volk - Head of the Middle East and North Africa Division at the European and International Cooperation Department, Mrs. Christina Baade - Middle East and North Africa Officer at the European and International Cooperation Department.

In addition, closed discussions were held - specifically stating a closed discussion with MP Dr. Günter Krings, Member of the German Parliament since 2002 and the legal policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag.

To wrap up, this second week in Berlin was informative, rich, fun and to be remembered. It ended with the participants conducting a collective evaluation session after which certificates of participation were distributed.

Following what we see as a success, we are pleased to announce that the "Leaders of Justice" program will continue next year. We hope to contribute to Lebanon's future and not only bring the new generation together but also provide them with the opportunity to grow and develop.

PS: Stay tuned for next year and don’t miss to apply once the call for application is out ⚖️