The number of paralegals providing free basic justice services in Sierra Leone will more than double next month, as donors join with non-governmental organizations and community-based groups to create a nation-wide network of legal assistance.
Publications
Between Law and Society: Paralegals and the Provision of Justice Services in Sierra Leone and Worldwide
Vivek Maru, The Yale Journal of International Law, 2006
This article by co-founder Vivek Maru explores the methodology of Timap for Justice, often through treatment of specific cases, and considers the broader applicability of the paralegal approach to justice services.
Delivering Justice to Sierra Leone’s Poor: An Analysis of the Work of Timap for Justice
Pamela Dale, The World Bank, Justice for the Poor Program, 2009
This article from the Justice for the Poor program at the World Bank analyzes Timap’s theory, methods, and impact. The paper is based on findings from qualitative case-study field research in Sierra Leone.
Paralegals and Community Oversight Boards in Sierra Leone
Simeon Koroma, International Institute for Environment and Development and the Food and Agriculture Organizaion, Legal Empowerment in Practice, 2008
Co-founder and director Simeon Koroma discusses Timap’s paralegal services, community dialogues, and the role of Community Oversight Boards in helping paralegals conduct needs assessments and interface with the communities in which they work. This article appears in a collection of papers emanating from an IIED/FAO/University of Ghana international workshop on legal empowerment and land rights.
Allies Unknown: Social Accountability and Legal Empowerment
Vivek Maru, Health and Human Rights, 2010
Timap co-founder Vivek Maru draws on his Sierra Leone experience while arguing that two strands of social action — legal empowerment and social accountability — ought to learn from one another.
Custody, Maintenance, and Succession: The Internalization of Women’s and Children’s Rights Under Customary Law in Africa
Allison D. Kent, Michigan Journal of International Law, 2007
In this journal note former Timap intern Allison Kent examines the incorporation of international human rights norms into areas traditionally governed by customary law, touching on examples from Sierra Leone.
An Evaluation of the Way that Paralegals at the Timap Programme in Magburaka, Sierra Leone, Deal with Family Cases
Lotta Teale, 13 August 2007
Independent family law specialist Lotta Teale assesses Timap’s work in cases concerning disputes within the family.
Standing Up for Justice in Sierra Leone
Vivek Maru, Open Society News, Winter 2006-07
This issue of the Open Society News includes a short piece describing Timap’s work.
Liberia: Resurrecting the Justice System
International Crisis Group, Africa Report No. 107, 6 April 2006
This International Crisis Group report on reforming the Liberian Justice Sector includes a case study of Timap for Justice and recommends that Liberian civil society consider a similar intervention.
Timap for Justice: An Experiment in Providing Basic Justice Services to the Poor
Simeon Koroma and Vivek Maru, Concord Times (Freetown), 24 March 2006
This two part article describes Timap for Justice, an effort to
provide justice services through community-based paralegals.
The Challenges of African Legal Dualism: An Experiment in Sierra Leone
Vivek Maru, Justice Initiatives, February 2005
This short essay considers the challenges of legal dualism in Sierra Leone and explains the way Timap for Justice attempts to respond to those challenges.