ProBono
Pro Bono Centrum (clearinghouse)
About Pro Bono Centrum (clearinghouse)
Pro Bono Centrum aims to link attorneys´ offer of pro bono legal services with knowledge of social issues and needs of potential pro bono clients possessed by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). NGOs involvement in the project guarantees that only such cases are referred to advocates, in which provision of pro bono legal services is justifiable and where legal aid is purposeful and reasonable. Pro Bono Centrum (clearinghouse) links the free capacity of law firms to provide pro bono legal services with demand for pro bono legal services from NGO and their clients.
Who can use services of Pro Bono Centrum and how
Only NGOs might turn to Pro Bono Centrum
- with legal problems of their low income clients (due to limited capacity Pro Bono Centrum can not accept requests from individual clients, who do not cooperate with NGO involved in the project)
- with their own legal problems e.g. requests for drafting international contracts with their grant partners, donors, foreign experts, counseling regarding labor law and employment matters, counseling regarding statutes, contracts, taxes, intellectual property issues,comparative legal research, legal analysis, strategic litigation at constitutional court or European Court for Human Rights (legal research, drafting applications, amicus curie briefs etc.),
- other forms of legal aid.
NGOs may use services of Pro Bono Centrum agreeing in written to the operational rules of Pro Bono Center. Staff of Pro Bono Centrum checks whether application for pro bono legal services on behalf of individual clients or from NGOs come under the areas in Centrum’s focus, whether the problem is of legal nature, whether application contains all necessary information in order to be assessed, whether it meets the conditions under which pro bono services may be provided and reviews the enclosed legal documents and statutory declaration (please see further). After application screening and approval, the request for pro bono legal services is referred to one of the law firms involved in the project. When one of the law firms accepts the request, Pro Bono Centrum staff follows how the request is processed and in case it is needed cooperates with the law firm in successful processing of the request.
Pro Bono Centrum is project of Pro Bono Alliance (PBA).
Principles of Pro Bono Centrum (clearinghouse)
Pro Bono Centrum accepts applications for pro bono legal aid only from NGOs. NGOs may apply for pro bono legal services on behalf of their clients or for themselves.
Individual clients may apply for services of Pro Bono Centrum only through NGO.
Individual clients can benefit from pro bono legal services through Pro Bono Centrum, only if they are unable to access legal services otherwise because of their income and property situation. Besides the application submitted on behalf of the client by NGO, the client must submit a statutory declaration about his income and property situation. If the client provides false information about his/her income and property situation, s/he is obliged to pay for provided legal services according to the advocates´ tariff.
Forms to apply for pro bono legal aid might be downloaded here.
Pro bono legal aid is provided by law firms participating in the project. Pro Bono Centrum does not provide legal services itself; it only ensures provision of pro bono legal services by law firms.
Pro Bono Centrum does not guarantee that pro bono legal aid will be provided in individual case even if the application is approved and referred to law firms.
Pro Bono Centrum does not accept applications for pro bono legal services:
- in criminal matters except of legal aid to victims of crime,
- in field of commercial law,
- if legal aid is already provided by an attorney,
- if client has not exhausted other effective ways of obtaining free legal aid (e.g. client must apply for appointment of representative by court in civil court proceedings, administrative court proceeding and criminal proceedings, client does not need to apply for appointment of advocate by Bar Association),
- if client’s problem is not of legal nature,
- if providing pro bono legal services is not reasonable and/or purposeful in the case,
- if the case can not be taken up by attoreny before statutes of limitation expire, before a date of scheduled court hearing, administrative or other hearing or police interrogation.
The coordinator of Pro Bono Centrum approves the application for pro bono legal services. There is no legal entitlement to have the application for pro bono services approved and referred to the law firms. If the application for pro bono legal services is not approved, the coordinator of Pro Bono Centrum informs immediately the NGO, which filed the application. In such case the coordinator provides information to NGO about how to secure free legal aid otherwise if possible.
Services of Pro Bono Centrum are free of charge.
Pro bono legal services are provided by attorneys free of charge. An advocate may not ask for any remuneration for his services from the client or NGO.
Though pro bono legal services are provided free of charge, individual client or NGO bear the cost related to the pro bono legal services (e.g. court and administrative fees, cost of expert opinions or other evidence, court costs if the case is lost, cost of advocate’s travel and other expenses).
If client or NGO are awarded court costs including attorney’s remuneration in proceedings, in which the client or NGOs are represented by advocate pro bono, the advocate will donate the court costs corresponding to advocate’s remuneration for charitable purposes or for development of pro bono legal aid. PILA administers fund for development of pro bono legal aid. Such funds may be used only to support development of pro bono legal services. PILA may not use such funds for salaries, remuneration or personal benefits of its staff or external consultants.
Pro bono legal aid is provided in the same quality as paid legal services.
Pro Bono Centrum does not accept original documents.
Pro Bono Centrum guarantees confidentiality of information received in relation with application for pro bono legal services except of providing this information to law firms and attorneys participating in Pro Bono Centrum project in course of facilitating provision of pro bono legal services. Pro Bono Centrum publishes only anonymous information. Publishing or providing non-anonymous information requires written consent of the person concerned.
Application for pro bono legal services must be submitted to Pro Bono Centrum at least 3 weeks before any deadline expires or scheduled court, other hearing or interrogation.
Pro Bono Centrum informs NGO whether the application was approved to reffered to law firm for provision of pro bono legal services in two weeks since Pro Bono Centrum received all documents necessary to assess the application.
