Internationale rechtliche Zusammenarbeit der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Access to justice and economic stability – legal aid and insolvency law take centre stage at two specialist seminars in Jordan

Details: Published: June 4, 2026

The participants in the seminar on the application of legal aid

Jordan

Access to justice and dealing with economic crises are among the key challenges facing modern justice systems. Against this backdrop, IRZ, in collaboration with Jordanian partner institutions, held two hybrid seminars in Amman on 19 and 20 May 2026 on the topics of legal aid and insolvency law.

The seminar on the provision and application of legal aid, which IRZ organised in collaboration with the Jordanian Ministry of Justice, represented by the Legal Aid Directorate, placed particular emphasis on these issues. The event was aimed specifically at ministry officials involved in the application or further development of legal aid.

Dr Rania Al-Rahahleh, Director of the Legal Aid Directorate, began by providing an overview of the current status of legal aid implementation in Jordan. She focused in particular on the legal framework for legal aid adopted in 2018 and explained how it has been applied in practice since then. She presented existing mechanisms for practical application, addressed challenges in implementation and outlined current developments. Using detailed statistics for the years 2019 to 2025, she also demonstrated that the number of people claiming legal aid in Jordan has risen steadily since the scheme was introduced.

From a German perspective, Prof. Dr Michael Gubitz, a lawyer, examined legal aid in criminal proceedings. The focus was on the legal basis, objectives, eligibility criteria and typical case scenarios from practice, a lawyer, and Naser Mansour then presented legal aid in civil proceedings. In doing so, he explained its significance for effective legal protection, the legal requirements for approval, the application process, and practical challenges in its application. The similarities and differences regarding requirements, procedures and practical application were also discussed, as were possible conclusions for practice. The discussion addressed the question of whether and in what form legal aid could be extended to civil proceedings in Jordan in the future. In response to an enquiry on this matter, it was recommended from a German perspective that such an extension be seriously considered. Lawyer Naser Mansour emphasised that legal aid in civil proceedings provides people with limited financial means with access to judicial protection – both to enforce their own claims and to defend against claims by third parties. Such an extension could help to further strengthen access to justice in Jordan and promote confidence in the practical effectiveness of rule-of-law procedures.

The exchange was open, practical and characterised by numerous questions. The participants contributed their own experiences and queries, particularly regarding the practical requirements, potential areas of application and limitations of extending legal aid. This led to a technically sound and lively discussion, which made it clear that legal aid goes far beyond a question of cost: it directly touches on the issue of how accessible legal protection actually is in everyday life.

The following day, a further hybrid seminar addressed the fundamentals of insolvency law. The focus was on the basic principles of modern insolvency proceedings, current developments in Jordanian insolvency law and practical issues relating to judicial application. In particular, the seminar discussed the reformed Jordanian insolvency law of 16 May 2018, which, in addition to equal treatment of creditors and transparency, is also geared towards preserving economic activity and the continuation of viable businesses. This added a commercial law perspective on legal certainty, stability and the handling of corporate crises to the previous exchange.

Both events demonstrated the considerable interest of the Jordanian partners in a practical, comparative legal exchange. At the same time, they highlighted the importance of legal aid and insolvency law for access to justice, due process and economic stability.

Presiding over court proceedings and video hearings in judicial practice

Details: Published: May 22, 2026

The participants of the hybrid seminar in Amman

Jordanien

How can a court hearing be conducted in a manner that is both efficient and fair? What opportunities does the use of video technology offer in court proceedings? And what implications does this have for key procedural principles such as the recording of proceedings, the assessment of evidence and the handling of expert witnesses?

These questions were the focus of a two-day hybrid seminar organised by IRZ on 12 and 13 May 2026 in Amman, in collaboration with the Jordanian Judicial Academy. The event was aimed at Jordanian judges and addressed the conduct of court hearings as well as the use of video hearings in criminal and civil practice.

In addition to the current state of implementation in Jordan, the seminar focused in particular on the role and responsibilities of the presiding judge, the structuring of the main hearing, ensuring a fair trial, and safeguarding the procedural rights of the parties involved. Another key focus was on legal and practical issues relating to digital hearings, such as the taking of evidence and examinations via video, as well as with regard to the rights of the defence, public access, immediacy and the search for truth.

The event highlighted that the conduct of hearings and digital forms of proceedings do not merely concern organisational matters, but are directly linked to procedural fairness, effective case management, and modern judicial practice.

The IRZ believes there is a continuing need for in-depth professional discussion regarding specific applications of digital hearings and practical guidelines for fair and structured court management.

Constitutional jurisdiction under scrutiny

Details: Published: June 4, 2025

Jordan

How can constitutional norms be interpreted reliably and systematically? What methods are used to do this? And what role does social change play in case law?

These questions were the focus of a symposium held on 14 May 2025 in Amman, where judges from the Jordanian Constitutional Court joined Prof Dr Michael Eichberger, former judge at the Federal Constitutional Court, to examine key aspects of constitutional interpretation and decision-making.

The Court itself is still young – it was established in 2012 as part of constitutional reform to enable independent constitutional review for the first time. Since then, the IRZ has been advising the Jordanian Constitutional Court on various constitutional issues – always in an open and trusting exchange.

The expert presentations focused on the methodological foundations of constitutional interpretation – including teleological, systematic and historical approaches to interpretation – and their concrete application in case law.

A second priority was the practice of decision-making: How does a specific case develop into a constitutional court decision? What influence do precedents have? And how can social developments be integrated into the decision-making process? The influence of changing family values on the case-law of the Federal Constitutional Court and the Federal Constitutional Court's rulings on the wearing of headscarves were the subject of lively discussion.

The active role played by the President of the Jordanian Constitutional Court, Judge Mohammad Al Ghazo, who enriched the discussion with his insightful contributions, was particularly gratifying. The atmosphere was open and collegial – a good basis for professional exchange.

While the topic of constitutional interpretation was dealt with comprehensively, the IRZ sees further potential for in-depth events on the practice of decision-making, in particular on different forms of constitutional court decisions – for example on nullity, ex nunc or ex tunc effect, or legislative deadlines.

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