WK 212 Engaging Free Professional Legal Services for Victims
A major obstacle for victims of human rights abuses is gaining access to legal representation in order to file a complaint against the perpetrator. This workshop will share successful tactics for engaging pro bono, or free, legal services through access to a variety of professional resources.
Panelists
Featured Tactic: Murat Dincer, Izmir Bar Association, Turkey
Complementary Presentations:
- Marcos Fuchs, Pro Bono Institute, Brazil
- Guo Jian Mei, Center for Women’sLaw Studies and Legal Services, China
Featured Tactic:
Engaging legal professionals to provide free legal services for survivors of torture and ill-treatment Murat Dincer, Izmir Bar Association, Turkey
A collective of attorneys in the Izmir Bar Association organized its members to pursue cases on behalf of victims of police torture free of charge. National and international laws require an investigation of complaints of ill-treatment, but in the five years since the implementation of the Turkish Penal Code, no one had been imprisoned for the crime of torture. A group of lawyers within the Bar Association decided to address this problem from two points – victims willing to press charges and lawyers willing to accept their cases. The Association trained willing attorneys in prosecuting torturers, including the medical aspects of torture, documentation skills needed to build a case and knowledge of human rights law. The Bar Association agreed to pay for case expenses. To encourage victims to press charges, the Bar Association advertised their services and encouraged victims to come forward using posters stating, "Don’t be scared. Don’t remain silent. Just phone us," and providing a 24-hour on-call service. These poster messages were hung in NGOs and court houses. The group has grown from five attorneys to 234. In the one and a half years since the project began, 304 cases have been brought by the Association.
Complementary Presentation
Marcos Fuchs, Instituto Pro Bono, Brazil
Until recently, there was no tradition in Brazil of legal firms offering free services to people in need. The Pro Bono Institute has created a new tradition in Sao Paolo, convincing major law firms to donate their legal services and linking them with NGO clients. They have recruited hundreds of lawyers, from some of the largest firms in the city and offer free services to all kinds of NGOs, including support for important human rights cases. [For in-depth information on this tactic, see the tactical notebook "
Expanding Access to Justice"]
Complementary Presentation
Guo Jian Mei of the Center for Women’sLaw Studies and Legal Services, China
The Center for Women’sLaw Studies and Legal Services is a public interest law firm that conducts research on women’sissues and provides pro bono legal services to Chinese women. The center’smost successful tactic has been litigating a select number of cases with great implications for Chinese women’sstruggles in the current socioeconomic context. Rather than litigating every case brought to its attention, the center concentrates on those that address contemporary women’sissues. In addition, the influence of these cases allows the center to make policy suggestions to lawmakers.
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