The CEELI Institute provides interactive training to legal professionals and others committed to the rule of law. Our workshops and conferences take place at the Institute’s training facility in Prague, as well as locally in other countries and online.
Impact and Approach
Since 2007, CEELI has trained over 20,000 individuals from 50 countries. Based on hypothetical cases, our courses are highly practical and built with expert international faculty. Using our integrated learning platform, CEELI Online, we offer in-person, online, and hybrid courses where participants and faculty can easily interact and exchange resources. Open calls are limited, please follow us on social media to learn about future opportunities.
Live courses
May 30
For civil society activists & journalists from Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia and Croatia
Length:
Location:
Applications is open until:
June 13
For civil society activists, journalists, and judges from Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia
Length:
Location:
Applications is open until:
Curricula
In person
This course is focused on identifying, locating, freezing, seizing, and returning assets that are the proceeds of a crime. Topics covered in the course include financial tracing of assets within or outside of a jurisdiction; utilizing international cooperation in asset recovery investigations; applying various legal methods to seek the seizure, forfeiture, and return of assets; and preparing formal written requests to collect evidence, including assets, in a foreign jurisdiction.
In person
This training provides investigators with an understanding of the terms associated with cryptocurrency, such as blockchain, tokens, decentralized finance, non-fungible tokens, and others. It also provides investigators with a baseline knowledge of the technology underpinning cryptocurrency, sources of information available to investigators, and how to interpret on-chain data and open-source information.
In-person
The purpose of this course is to provide training on conducting criminal investigations online, including investigative techniques and collection of electronic evidence. On the last training day, students are given a scenario and asked to use the training, tools, and resources provided during the class, to analyze the scenario and design an initial investigative plan to present to the class.
In-person or online
Designed for investigators and prosecutors, this training brings together an extraordinary faculty line-up consisting of some of the world’s most experienced anti-corruption prosecutors, forensic accountants, and practitioners. The highly interactive training walks participants through the actual investigation of a model case involving official corruption. Participants work in small groups to develop their own investigation strategies, learning to use time-tested investigative tools along the way.
In person
The course is intended for investigative journalists and civic activists to improve their knowledge of procedural steps and requirements for investigating corruption and money laundering by law enforcement. The course was created to help bridge the gap of mutual misunderstanding and mistrust, which often exists between law enforcement and civil society watchdogs in investigating official corruption and money laundering. The objective of this training is to provide investigative journalists with the knowledge of what constitutes legally actionable material for law enforcement, and what mechanisms exist to relay information to law enforcement actors.
In person
The techniques discussed and practiced during this course can be applied to any investigation involving crimes of greed. The evidence resulting from using these techniques may corroborate the testimony of witnesses whose credibility is suspect, and provide circumstantial or direct evidence of the crime. Subject areas covered in this seminar include: Starting an Investigation; Sources of Financial Information; Financial Profiling; Financial Interviewing; Financial Crimes, Money Laundering, and Asset Forfeiture; and Financial Search Warrants. The course is designed and delivered by two former U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigators/trainers, a former FBI agent and a former Supervising Officer of the FinCEN.
Curricula
In-person
These three-day seminars are organized by the CEELI Institute, the University of Silesia, the Association of Croatian Judges, and the Polish judges’ association Iustitia, and are designed for active criminal and civil judges from EU member countries, focusing on applying of EU instruments in criminal and civil justice, and providing access to the full extent of rights guaranteed by EU law.
Online
The CEELI Institute is organizing five-week online courses for judges and other legal professionals from Central and Eastern Europe as well as other regions. These trainings center on themes such as independence and integrity of the judiciary, case management, or digital justice. They are organized as part of the CEELI Institute’s Central and Eastern European Judicial Exchange Network activities.
In person
This workshop helps participants (both civil society representatives and judges) to better communicate complex rule of law issues and the importance of judicial independence to different types of audiences, including the general public; and design compelling campaigns and communication material. Combining theory and practice, the workshop focuses on the key concepts, goals, and good practices in communicating about these important topics and provides an opportunity for practical exercises and active dialogue.
In-person
We partner with the National Judicial Academy of India and the U.S. Federal Judicial Center to provide training-of-trainers for small groups of Indian judges to craft new curricula on Terrorism, Cybercrime, and Human Trafficking cases. Updated curricula reflect Indian national legislation and international best practices, while at the same time incorporating a modern educational approach in lieu of traditional lecture-based teaching methodology.
Curricula
In person
The European Court for Human Rights (ECtHR) is currently among the most important avenues of international appeal and review open to citizens seeking redress from final judgments in the 46 member states of the Council of Europe. Such redress is particularly important for citizens of European countries that are not members of the European Union, such as Turkey and Ukraine. The CEELI Institute has developed and implemented a wide range of courses focusing on various aspects of applications to the Court, such as specific articles of the Convention, or their typical combinations (such as the rights for defendants in criminal cases), and technical trainings on developing successful applications.
In Person
This interactive training is aimed at managers of small and medium law firms and covers the following topics: challenges facing small and medium firms, financial management, generating growth, client care and marketing strategies, showing effective leadership and motivating staff, and information technology management and digital security.
In person
This five-day course is designed to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and competencies to advise clients on intellectual property rights management, protection, and enforcement. The main focus of the program is on copyright, trademarks, and design rights. Patents are dealt with in passing only as a more comprehensive study is beyond the scope of this course.
In person
This five-day training training for practicing attorneys aims to develop skills essential to the effective representation of clients in jury trial cases. It starts with topics such as interviewing the client and case analysis and facilitates opportunities for all the participants to engage in mock trial advocacy exercises with a case study and develop trial advocacy skills; including jury selection, opening statements, first examinations, cross-examinations, and closing statements.
2-week summer school
The CEELI Institute offers a two-week summer school for Ukrainian law students and junior lawyers. The training's aim is twofold: first, it is designed to introduce the participants to basic legal interviewing and advocacy skills not learned in doctrinal classes, as well as to skills needed for working with traumatized clients and witnesses. Second, it seeks to provide participants with a better understanding of the main conceptual underpinnings of international criminal law and its place in the fragmented field of international law and justice.
Get in touch
Don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions about our training courses.