Haitian Law Students Enthusiastic About Computer Donation As part of its efforts to improve local access to, and education about, their own legal system in Haiti, The Firm supports the College of Law in Jérémie (CLJ), Haiti. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and is struggling to create a fair and accessible judicial system. In the past, powerful elements of Haitian society intentionally undermined the judicial system - forcing the shutdown of law schools and murdering both lawyers and judges. As a result, there are only four practicing attorneys in Jérémie, a town of 60,000 people. The College of Law in Jérémie was founded in 1995 by Bishop Willy Romelus to help rebuild the judicial system. The school is committed to educating students not only to be competent professionals, but also to be "agents of peace, equality, and justice in a troubled society." CLJ graduated its first class in 1999 and currently educates about 90 students. In 2000, The Firm donated over a dozen computers to the College of Law in Jérémie as part of a sister-relationship between CLJ and the Bay Area legal community. This equipment provides the foundation of a much-needed computer lab for the students, who are required to write a thesis. A teaching delegation from UC Hastings College of Law helped set up the computers and deliver textbooks. The students were extremely grateful for the computers and encouraged by the general support from the Bay Area legal community. One law student characterized their gratitude for this opportunity by saying, "I have searched my Creole vocabulary and can't find any word to express my thanks to you. Since 1986 there has been some change, but the great change depends on us because we are the hope for a better tomorrow."

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