More than 50 alumni of Open World’s rule of law program and the three U.S. judges who helped design it took part in a major legal conference in Saratov, Russia, April 22–24. U.S. District Judges Michael Mihm of Illinois and Paul Magnuson of Minnesota and U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sidney Brooks of Colorado joined prominent judges, lawyers, and law professors from across western Russia at the Open World-hosted alumni event.

Entitled “Contemporary Aspects of Judicial Administration in Russia and the United States,” the conference explored both practical and philosophical judicial issues, covering everything from case management to ethics. And for the three attending American judges, who have served on a number of occasions as Open World hosts, the conference presented a special opportunity to learn more about the judicial reforms the Russian participants are implementing.

Open World chose Saratov as the conference site because this centuries-old city on the Volga is home to some of the rule of law program’s most involved alumni and the capital of the judicially progressive Saratov Region. Not only did the region conduct Russia’s first jury trial since prerevolutionary days, it has also taken the lead in reintroducing justices of the peace. Active Open World alumni in Saratov include faculty of the distinguished Saratov State Academy of Law, leading judges from the courts of general jurisdiction, and several judges of the Saratov Commercial Court, who enjoy a sister-court relationship with the federal bankruptcy court for Colorado thanks to Open World and Judge Brooks, their U.S. host.

The conference’s opening day kicked off with a well-attended press conference, welcoming remarks from two vice rectors of the law academy and Saratov Commercial Court Chair Alexander Baranov, and an insightful overview of Russia’s judicial system by Saratov Regional Court Vice Chair Rima Volosatikh. Day two featured lively breakout sessions on the adversary system, plea bargaining, and bankruptcy law, each co-moderated by one of the U.S. judges and a Russian colleague.

A wide-ranging plenary session on ethics highlighted the conference’s closing day. Judge Mihm spoke about judicial accountability; Judge Brooks about the role of ethics in maintaining positive public perceptions; and Judge Magnuson about corruption’s damaging effects on society.

On the topic of ethics, one Russian participant stressed that the American judges raised issues during the conference that “we rarely, if ever, raise when left to ourselves.” Yet as Judge Brooks noted afterward, “While ethics and corruption still loom as a big problem in Russia, the judges at the conference discussed the problems and the consequences of such influences candidly.”

The conference schedule included the kind of hands-on, practically oriented trainings that are a hallmark of Open World’s alumni outreach program. Said Judge Brooks of the role-play workshop he ran for commercial court judges, “I think the Russian judges … found it full of unexpected insights as they played the roles of arbitration manager, bank lender, trade creditor, employee representative, and others in a mock creditors’ meeting.”

Many alumni at the conference commended the Open World Program overall and the positive outcomes from the thousands of delegate exchanges. Vice Rector Alexander Demidov of the Saratov State Academy of Law commented that the Open World Program “provides Russian judicial authorities the possibility of acquainting themselves with the judicial practices in the United States, the ability to develop and maintain professional contacts with their American colleagues and further their professional mastery of legal concepts.”

Open World’s program coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Alexander Khilkov, said after the Saratov event, “Alumni activities are an important component of Open World. We are trying to enhance the value of the U.S. experience with follow-up thematic events in Russia that provide continuing opportunities for civic, political, and judicial leaders to learn from each other.”

Published by The PBN Company for the Open World Leadership Center, whose Open World Program has hosted nearly 9,000 citizens from Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan since its inception in 1999. The Center is an independent legislative branch agency that works cooperatively with the U.S. Department of State and other U.S. executive and judicial branch agencies. For additional information, please visit the Open World Leadership Center's website at www.openworld.gov or contact the office at +1 202-707-8943.