This summer, The Legal Aid Society welcomed law faculty and students from Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in Monterrey, Mexico for a one-day series of workshops, lectures, and trainings on teaching oral litigation for trial lawyers, under the Oral Adversarial Skill-Building Immersion Seminar (OASIS) program. Coordinated by Justice in Mexico, the program aims to foster closer ties between U.S. and Mexican faculty and legal experts from Mexico’s largest public universities working to improve the functioning of the Mexican criminal justice system.

“We are proud to partner with Justice In Mexico on such an innovative and powerful program that facilitates these transformative education exchanges,” said Peter Mitchell, Director of Training in the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society. “Together we can share comprehensive training strategies to build a more equitable and fair legal system. Developing hands-on training is an essential part of any strategy.”

“We’re excited to bring law professors and students from the Mexico to learn how the Legal Aid Society works to achieve this goal for people of limited means in the City of New York. In Mexico, where an estimated 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, there is a dire need for the kind of services that the Legal Aid Society provides,” said David Shirk, Executive Director of Justice In Mexico.

In the past ten years, Mexico has implemented a slew of criminal justice reforms and one of the OASIS program objectives is to help law schools transition into the new legal landscape. The training at the Legal Aid headquarters in New York City is part of a study trip of America’s legal system that spans two-weeks in cities across the country.

Watch the video below for highlights from this year’s training.