(Los Angeles) - The United States Agency for International Development and the Virginia-based consulting firm Bearing Point have undertaken a series of projects designed to assist Serbia's fledgling democracy, judicial system, and private business sector. Milo Stevanovich, a former SBAA director and a senior USAID/BearingPoint legal advisor, is stationed in Belgrade. Milo counsels on matters related to the reform of Serbia's bankruptcy laws and commercial courts. In December, 2003 Milo lead a delegation of senior Serbian judges and staff attorneys on a study tour visit of the California Superior Court and Federal Courts sitting in Los Angeles. The two week tour included presentations by United States Bankruptcy Court judges, professors and practitioners on a wide variety of academic subjects, technological advances and administrative topics. Among other things, the visiting judges had an opportunity to hear from leading US bankruptcy professors and observe contested motions and live trial testimony. At USAID/Bearing Point's request, former SBAA President Sava Alexander Vojcanin presented two lectures, including a discussion of the history, mission and work of the SBAA. Jelena Gazivoda, a staff attorney and spokesperson accompanying the judges said, "[Bearing Point and the judges] treat this tour and meeting with [the SBAA] in particular as a first crucial step in building the bridges between professionals in Serbia and US." The high profile judicial delegation included Dragiša Slijepcevic, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Serbia, and Stojan Jokic, a member of the appellate level High Commercial Court. Commercial Court Judges Srecko Timotic (Valjevo), Jasmina Zjalic (Novi Sad), Ivan Celjuska (Subotica) and Verica Smiljanic (Pozarevac) rounded out the group. These judges are among the most active advocates for meaningful reform in Serbia's judicial system. Since the fall of Serbia's socialist regime in October 2000, the SBAA has worked with various US-based institutions which assist the Government of Serbia build democratic institutions and a respect for the rule of law. Last year in conjunction with the Judicial Conference of the United States Committee on International Judicial Relations, the SBAA hosted a delegation of Justices of the Supreme and Constitutional Courts of Serbia in Washington, D.C.