Armenians Learn From Northern Kentucky Lawyers

A group of lawyers from Armenia made a stop here this month as part of USAID’s Community Connections Program.

The group of 10 lawyers from Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, visited the Crestview Hills law firm Dressman Benzinger Lavelle, where they exchanged ideas focused on strategic planning, managing law firm growth, retaining staff, action plans and marketing. The subjects tied-in with program’s topic: Independent Private Practice by Emerging Legal Professionals.

During the three-week program, which is designed to expose the visitors to how American law firms operate and to develop linkages between the Armenians and their American counterparts, the group is visiting not only law firms, but also courts, judges, law professionals, universities and bar associations, according to Jan Sherbin, who is managing the program for the Greater Cincinnati World Affairs Council.

“The Armenian lawyers are extremely interested in learning all they can, and the Dressman Benzinger Lavelle group really plunged right in, so it was a wonderful exchange,” said Sherbin. “It’s been a big part of their trip.”

The group plans to take what they’ve learned back to Armenia, according to Community Connections participant Ovsanna Stepanyan, who is visiting the U.S. for the first time for this program.

“What we are learning is very useful because this is quite a different system in the United States,” she said. “Little by little, we can apply it in our country.”

With international help, Armenia, formerly part of the Soviet Union, is transitioning to a more democratic legal system and independent judiciary, Sherbin said.

Being even a small part in helping that transition is exciting, according to Jim Dressman, executive vice president at Dressman Benzinger Lavelle.

“It was a great opportunity for us to help these very talented young people who are dedicated to making life better in their community,” he said.

Though the visit to Crestview Hills was the group’s only “official” visit planned in Northern Kentucky, participants will also visit the Newport Aquarium and hold an Armenian barbecue in Rabbit Hash next week.

The three-week program ends July 30.

The Community Connections Program is funded by USAID, with World Learning as the programming agent. As the local training organization, the World Affairs Council is designing and conducting the program, Sherbin said.

For details, visit the Greater Cincinnati World Affairs Council’s website at www.cincyworldaffairs.org.