Access to Justice Department  

​​​​​The functions of the Department of Access to Justice and Legal Professionals are:
  • Oversee the conduct of legal proceedings for legal aid providers
  • Monitoring and overseeing the legal professionals such as public notary, lawyers, law, firms, law organizations etc.
  • Regulating the registration of certificate of marriage and divorce, certification of public notary legal statement etc.
  • Monitor regularly and report to the minister on legal aid status
  • Organize monthly legal aid coordination meeting among legal professionals including public notaries, law firms etc.
  • Inform the Somaliland citizens their rights and obligation covered by the constitution.
  • Introduce the community full information about the three-legal system of the country.
  • Teach the community new laws and old laws of the country
  • Prepare public legal awareness messages through the media
  • Facilitating the effectiveness use of ADR in litigation and agency administrative disputes
  • Developing manuals for the use of the ADR
  • Enforcement of alternative dispute solutions in all the communities including the traditional norms and conflict resolutions
  • Holding meeting with the traditional leaders
  • Ensure that Somaliland people get justice
  • Support of the victims to get the rights to access to justice
  • Capacity building of the justice stakeholders in areas of access to justice
  • Oversee the implementation of policies and laws by the judiciary organs of Somaliland
  • Facilitate access to justice by the civil society in Somaliland up village and urban level
  • Improving the coordination and collaboration between all the justice stakeholders
  • Development of the requirement and standards for legal professionals including public notary, lawyers, law firms, law organizations etc. and ensuring the application of those standards
  • Coordinate the formulation of the policies, framework and programmes to support the legal professionals, legal aid, legal awareness, judicial affairs and alternative dispute resolution in Somaliland
  • Preparation and implementation of the five (5) year strategic plan and budget for the department.
  • Preparation and implementation of a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system and tools for the Department
  • Preparation and implementation of the capacity development for all staff based on the needs assessment and in-line with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) guidelines and requirements.
  • Preparation of the annual financial estimates in consultation with the heads of sections
  • Coordinating the formulation of the department’s risk management framework, risk profiling, risk reporting and monitoring
  • The department is divided into four sections which include the Legal Professionals and

Sections

  • Judicial Affairs Section
  • Legal Awareness Section
  • Legal Aid Section
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Section