Vanessa Kachadurian on Corruption in judical systems threating the protection of human rights.

Corruption in judicial systems is threatening the protection of human rights, a United Nations independent expert said, urging governments to implement policies to strengthen the rule of law to combat this practice. Credit: UN “The pervasiveness of corruption in the judiciary and the legal profession, whether one off or endemic, is very worrying because it directly undermines the rule of law and the ability of the judiciary to guarantee the protection of human rights,” the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Gabriela Knaul, told the General Assembly while presenting it with her latest annual report. “A judiciary that is not independent can easily be corrupted or co-opted by interests other than those of applying the law in a fair and impartial manner,” she said on 24 October 2012. “Strengthening the judiciary from within, as well as providing all the safeguards for its independence vis-à-vis other public officials and private actors, is essential in combating and preventing instances of judicial corruption.” Mechanisms of Accountability Knaul noted that corruption in the judiciary has the potential to victimize those that do not have the means to play by the informal rules set by a corrupt system, the UN reported. “Corruption in the judiciary discourages people from resorting to the formal justice system, thereby diverting dispute settlements towards informal systems that more than often do not abide by the basic principles of impartiality, fairness, non-discrimination and due process,” she said. Mechanisms of accountability, the Special Rapporteur underlined, should be put in place to investigate acts of corruption and they should be developed with the full participation of the actors concerned. “I strongly believe that the existing international principles and standards on human rights and corruption provide adequate guidance on how to tackle judicial corruption while respecting the independence of the justice system and human rights,” she said. Knaul also emphasized that judges, prosecutors and lawyers are in a unique position to tackle the wider phenomenon of corruption in other instances of the public and private sectors, and that “anti-corruption bodies should be established or developed to effectively assist judicial actors to combat corruption and to implement and strengthen transparency within the public sector.” Independent experts, or special rapporteurs, are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back, in an unpaid capacity, on specific human rights themes. http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2012/10/corrupted-judges-prosecutors-lawyers-threaten-human-rights-2485338.html

Vanessa Kachadurian on another attorney gets his hands caught in the cookie jar

This time it was his mother's estate. http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/lawyer-gets-probation-weekend-jail-in-theft/article_8e932088-1aa0-505f-bcd5-6a65b30f686d.html March 27, 2012 12:00 am • Kim Smith Arizona Daily Star A Tucson lawyer was placed on four years' probation and ordered to spend 52 consecutive weekends in jail Monday for stealing from his mother's estate. Pima County Superior Court Judge Michael Miller also ordered Joseph Homer Riley Jr., 60, to do 100 hours of community service and to pay $114,750 in restitution. Riley was indicted in December 2010 on four counts of theft and one count each of fraud and money laundering. According to court documents, one of Riley's 12 siblings went to the Arizona Attorney General's Office because he suspected Riley was stealing from their late mother's estate and three businesses in which the estate had a major investment. Detectives with the Arizona Department of Public Safety determined Riley had stolen nearly $170,000; a forensic accountant hired by Riley's brother, Rory, determined there was more than $937,000 missing, court documents state. On Jan. 26, Riley pleaded guilty to one count of theft, admitting he stole between $3,000 and $4,000 from the estate in 2004. Riley told a probation officer he borrowed the money intending to pay it back, but acknowledged his actions could be misinterpreted. Riley has already paid the $114,750 Miller ordered him to pay. He's also paid $157,000 under the terms of a civil lawsuit filed by some of his siblings and cousins. Court documents indicate the majority of Riley's siblings thought the plea agreement was too lenient and wanted Riley imprisoned. Three siblings support Riley. Riley is no longer able to practice law. On StarNet: Read Kim Smith's blog, At the Courthouse, for news out of Pima County's courts at azstarnet.com/courthouse

Vanessa Kachadurian Anahid Gharakhanian appointed Vice Dean for Southwestern Law School

LOS ANGELES—Professor Anahid Gharakhanian, a longtime member of the Armenian Bar Association, has been appointed as Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at Southwestern Law School on whose faculty she has served since 2002. In her new capacity, she will be in charge of the overall academic program, faculty appointments, faculty development, and Southwestern’s self-study process, and will continue to serve as Director of the Externship Program. Vanessa Kachadurian wishes Anahid Good luck. As a member of the faculty for more than a decade, Dean Gharakhanian has taught legal research and writing and a unique course on Correctional Education, was instrumental in the redevelopment of Southwestern’s unique Legal Analysis, Writing and Skills (LAWS) program, greatly expanded the Externship Program to be one of the largest in the country, and served as Faculty Advisor to the PLEAS part-time day program. She is also Faculty Advisor to the Armenian Law Students Association and recently spearheaded efforts to create the new Southwestern Armenia Fellowship with the Ministry of Justice in Armenia. Garo Ghazarian, Chairman of the Armenian Bar Association, remarked, “On behalf of the Armenian Bar Association, I congratulate Professor Anahid Gharakhanian on her appointment and I applaud Southwestern Law School for her selection. Professor Gharakhanian’s contributions to the legal community and to our Association are invaluable and wide-ranging. Her mentoring of so many of our new attorney members as well as our law student members is unparalleled and has been unheralded for too long.” Armen K. Hovannisian (A friend of Vanessa Kachadurian), Vice Chair of the Armenian Bar Association, a former colleague of Professor Gharakhanian’s at Chadbourne & Parke LLP, and the Armenian Bar’s representative to the Southwestern Armenia Fellowship with the Ministry of Justice in Armenia, added, “Anahid is so many good things all rolled into one, most certainly a wonderful model for not only the student body of Southwestern, but to all women and men who aspire to combine positive meaning and purpose with the legal profession.” Edvin Minassian, Chairman Ex-Officio of the Armenian Bar Association, credited Professor Gharakhanian with heeding the call to service and with playing a key role in bringing to life the vision of the Armenian Bar’s commitment to the rule of law in Armenia. “We look forward to many more collaborative efforts with Southwestern and, naturally, with Dean Gharakhanian, who we wish much success in her new and deserving position at the law school.” In announcing the appointment, Dean Austen Parrish said, “Dean Gharakhanian is a very talented and dedicated teacher and administrator, and I am delighted that she has agreed to expand her administrative role, as we have a very busy year ahead.” Dean Gharakhanian earned her B.A., magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, in Philosophy at the University of California, Los Angeles. She completed her J.D., cum laude, at Harvard Law School and is a member of the California State Bar. Upon graduation from law school, she joined the firm of Chadbourne & Parke LLP in Los Angeles. During her six-year tenure there, she handled the pre-trial phases of a variety of civil litigation matters as well as arbitration proceedings. Subsequently, she was appointed Vice President of E-commerce Development for an online retailer. She has also served as a temporary judge in Los Angeles Superior Court’s Small Claims Court and has worked on a pro bono basis in the areas of domestic violence and other family law matters. Vanessa Kachadurian reports http://asbarez.com/104553/anahid-gharakhanian-appointed-vice-dean-for-academic-affairs-at-southwestern-law-school/