Lawyers Without Borders works to empower Afghan legal professionals, including judges, lawyers, and law and Sharia graduates and students within Afghanistan and the United States. We support Afghan legal professionals through two main programs: the Afghan Lawyers Career Opportunity Program (ALCOP) and the Afghan Justice Mentorship Program (AJMP). These programs focus on helping Afghan legal professionals overcome barriers to employment, ensuring access to legal education, mentorship, and the continuity of their legal practice, as well as accessing other professional jobs.
Sustaining Resilience of Women Legal Professionals: Afghan Justice Mentorship Program (February 2024 - Ongoing)
Since February 28, 2024, Lawyers Without Borders (LWOB), in partnership with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), has been supporting a mentorship program for young women who were studying law or working in the legal profession when the Taliban’s decrees banning women from work and education were adopted.
The program is dedicated to supporting Afghan female law and Sharia students by providing mentorship and training opportunities from experienced legal professionals from Afghanistan and the U.S. This initiative is crucial in helping them continue their education and professional development despite the Taliban's exclusion of women from education and public life. By fostering resilience and determination, the program empowers these young women to advocate for women's rights and stay motivated.
It also facilitates knowledge transfer, offering seasoned legal professionals a platform to share their expertise with the younger generation. This ensures students have practical opportunities to apply their skills and contribute to their communities, even under restrictive conditions. The mentorship program creates a dynamic exchange of knowledge, strengthening the legal community.
Afghan Lawyers Career Opportunity Program, ALCOP (October 2022 to September 2025; Ongoing)
The U.S. pullout from Afghanistan in 2021 sparked a new refugee crisis, with more than 120,000 Afghans airlifted out of the country and scattered around the world. Many Afghan lawyers and judges arrived in the U.S. through the Special Immigrant Visa program and other special refugee resettlement programs for Afghans who had worked closely with and supported American programs and development efforts in Afghanistan. While educated and skilled, many struggle to find work and end up in menial jobs outside their profession. Many are not proficient in English, have not learned to drive, and struggle to enter the U.S. job market.
Thus, Lawyers Without Borders, in partnership with the Friends of the Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan (FPJRA), launched the Afghan Lawyers Career Opportunity Program in October 2022. Through this program, staff have been providing career counseling, training, and mentorship for Afghan legal professionals who came to the U.S. after July 2021 through SIV, P1, P2, or parolee visas. The program aims to assist Afghan lawyers, judges, and law and Sharia graduates in entering the U.S. job market and finding professional jobs well-suited to their education and experience. Over 100 participants have been enrolled in this program, and more than 50 percent of them are female. Madina Qasimi, a Kabul-educated lawyer, leads these efforts and was recognized with a grant from Open Society Foundations for her leadership in helping fellow Afghans find work. The program collaborates with a network of law firms and judicial volunteers, contributing hundreds of hours since the program began.
Afghanistan Rule of Law Project (October 2021 - Ongoing)
Lawyers Without Borders (LWOB) initiated the Afghanistan Rule of Law Project in October 2021 to improve access to justice and strengthen the rule of law in Afghanistan after the collapse of the former Afghan government. The project is led by Madina Qasimi, an Afghan lawyer with extensive experience in international affairs, human rights, and women’s rights.
The Afghanistan Rule of Law Project has several distinct goals, one of which is to identify key research topics. This research will provide a basis for LWOB and other organizations to aid in restoring the rule of law in Afghanistan. To meet this goal, LWOB has worked with Afghan lawyers and scholars to identify several areas essential to the legal system that could benefit from research. These areas include the Afghan constitution, the status and treatment of women and children in Afghanistan, the distribution of legal information, the actions of the Taliban, and displaced Afghan refugees. It aims to raise awareness of the consequences of Taliban rule and encourage law firms to take the initiative to help vulnerable populations throughout the country.
Second, Afghan women, particularly female judges and lawyers, face many challenges. Those who were airlifted out or fled their country work to rebuild their lives, while those left behind have lost their rights, have limited support, and lack opportunities for work or education. LWOB has been supporting female lawyers in Afghanistan since the collapse of the former government, focusing on those who faced significant challenges and retaliation under the Taliban regime. LWOB aims to empower these legal professionals through awareness and skill-building, ensuring they can navigate and contribute to the legal system more effectively.