ProBono

About Pro Bono Project

The project is being implemented and www.probonocentrum.cz is operated by Public Interest Lawyers Association (PILA).

Project goals and activities

Pro bono project aims to enhance accessibility of legal aid for disadvantaged social groups and legal capacity for protection of human rights and other issues of public interest. „Pro bono“ stands for legal work provided by advocates free of charge for benefit of people with low income or other forms of advocates´ involvement in public interest activities.

Objectives

• to increase number of advocates systematically involved in pro bono activities, particularly in cooperation with non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
• to increase awareness and social status of pro bono among advocates, other legal professionals and law students, 

• to link advocates´ capacity to provide pro bono legal services and familiarity of NGOs with issues and needs of potential clients and socially disadvantaged groups, 

• to develop advocates´ professional skills in area of protection of human rights and public interest.
  

The project consists of 4 main types of activities:

1. Awareness-raising activities: Their objective is to raise social status of pro bono legal work and awareness of lawyers particularly advocates about pro bono. Awareness raising activities include publishing of articles and advertisements in professional journals, media-relations development, press-releases, organizing national pro bono forum, promotion of pro bono logo among law firms and developing and grating award for contribution to better access to legal aid.    

2. Educational activities: Their objective is to assist advocates systematically providing pro bono legal services to provide high quality legal services to pro bono and to have effective pro bono management in terms of internal functioning of their offices. The educational activities includes workshops for advocates focused on practical legal skills and substantive law in areas, in which advocates lack experiences, advocates´ internships in NGOs, ad hoc individual consultations with lawyers from NGOs and workshop on access to legal aid within School of Human Rights for law students.

3. Direct support to pro bono legal services: These activities aim at increasing number of advocates working pro bono and the amount of pro bono work referred from NGOs to advocates. This includes meetings with law firms and NGOs, joined meetings among law firms and NGOs, operating Pro Bono Centrum (clearinghouse), which links free capacity of law firms to provide pro bono legal services with demand for pro bono legal services from NGO and their clients, developing national standards for pro bono programs, international workshop on pro bono management and operating www.probonocentrum.cz web-site.

4. Development of financial sustainability of pro bono program: The objective is to develop network of law firms willing to support financially services of Pro Bono Centrum.

Partners:

• The project is funded by Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe
  

• Funded by grant from Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway in a framework of EHP financial mechanism and Norwegian financial mechanism distributed by NROS.
  

• PILA cooperates with following partners in realization of the project: Liga lidských práv, Ekologický právní servis, Iuridicum Remedium, Oživení, a Z§vůle práva

• The project is also supported by CEELI Institute in Prague.

• PILA cooperates also with Public Interest Law Institute., Budapest and Centrum pro bono Poland.

• The first phase of the project was funded bye Open Society Fund Praha.