Jessica Vapnek

Lecturer, Global Programs Advisor, and Director of the M.S.L. Program UC Hastings College of the Law

  • San Francisco CA

Contacts: vapnekjessica@uchastings.edu

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UC Hastings College of the Law

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Biography

Jessica Vapnek is a Lecturer, Global Programs Advisor, and Director of the M.S.L. Program at UC Hastings. Previously, she was a Regional Technical Director for a consulting firm in San Francisco implementing rule-of-law projects around the world. In that role she managed complex international projects, helped write winning proposals, and published articles on access to justice and dispute resolution. Previously, for almost 15 years, Professor Vapnek served as a Legal Officer with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, providing policy advice to member countries, drafting legislation on agriculture and natural resources, and writing and editing a number of articles and books. Professor Vapnek has lived in Africa (she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the former Zaire and a Fulbright Scholar in Ghana) and has worked in or traveled to 91 countries during her career. She speaks French, Spanish, and Italian.

Areas of Expertise

Agriculture and Natural Resource Law
Legislative Drafting
Rule of Law

Accomplishments

Editor in Chief

California Law Review

Fulbright Scholar

Ghana

Peace Corps Volunteer

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Education

University of California, Berkeley - School of Law

J.D.

Yale University

B.A.

Affiliations

  • State Bar of California : Member
  • Bar Association of the District of Columbia : Member

Languages

  • French
  • Italian
  • Spanish

Selected Articles

Resolving Disputes and Improving Security in Post-Conflict Settings: An Example from Liberia

Arbitration - The International Journal of Arbitration, Mediation and Dispute Management

Jessica Vapnek, Alfred Fofie, & Peter Boaz

2017-08-31

Countries emerging from civil conflict in the developing world face numerous challenges that hinder reconstruction and peace building. These hurdles, many of which existed before the war and may have contributed to the civil strife, include poverty, unequal distribution of political and economic power, land disputes, and exploitation or exclusion of groups on social, cultural, tribal, or religious bases. Liberia emerged from 14 years of conflict in 2003 urgently needing to address many of these concerns, in particular the burgeoning number of land disputes and the looming threat they posed to peace, security, and national reconstruction. This article first examines the role of land underpinning disputes in post-conflict settings and then outlines the origins of the Mitigating Local Disputes in Liberia (MLDL) Project. Next, the article provides a snapshot of the dispute resolution and conflict early warning/early response system established and supported by the project and examines the methodology and factors that led to its success. After reviewing selected disputes resolved and security issues addressed, the article concludes by suggesting the features of MLDL’s dispute resolution and early warning model that could be replicated in other post-conflict regions.

Cultural Factors and Ethical Integrity

Hastings International and Comparative Law Review

Jessica Vapnek

2016-12-31

The UC Hastings Ethical Integrity Symposium (Professional Ethical Integrity: Cornerstone for Rule of Law Reform Around the Globe) was designed around the assumption that a lack of ethical integrity undermines the rule of law in various countries. Informed by travels and work in more than eighty-five countries, the author's remarks at the symposium offered some perspectives on why ethical behavior is so elusive in many environments. The intention of these refelections is not to use poverty to justify unethical behavior or corruption, but rather to explain the cultural context so as to better understand what may be motivating people to act in ways that those in the developed world would call unethical. To address the issue of ethical integrity, the remarks outline links between law and economic development, list cultural factors that may contribute to ethical lapses in some developing countries, and highlight solutions that have been implemented in various parts of the world.

Improving Access to Justice in Developing and Post-Conflict Countries: Practical Examples from the Field

Duke Forum for Law & Social Change

Jessica Vapnek, Peter Boaz, & Helga Turku

2016-08-31

The purpose of many rule-of-law assistance projects is to help make justice systems accessible and worthy of public confidence. This article reviews several donor-funded rule-of-law projects implemented in various parts of the world, offering some empirical insights into how they build trust in the judicial system and facilitate access to courts. Because international donors are in a unique position to shape planned interventions to improve access to justice and the rule of law, they need access to information about initiatives undertaken and lessons learned. This article is intended to share experiences implementing access-to-justice activities in developing countries and countries in transition.

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