Defence and the Association of Defence Counsel
Just as is the case in national legal systems, the Defence was not a part of the Tribunal. The accused were represented by counsel who were either self-employed or who worked for law firms. The Tribunal had a legal aid system which provided legal representation to indigent accused. By far the majority of accused made use of the legal aid system, which was run by the Registry’s Office of Legal Aid and Detention Matters, or OLAD.
The Association of Defence Counsel practising before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was established in 2002 as a professional organisation representing the interests of defence counsel. Its constitution was subsequently amended to represent counsel practising before also the IRMCT.
