Pro Bono legal service

Background

Pro Bono comes from the Latin expression “pro bono publico” meaning “for the public good”.
The Constitution of India by virtue of Article 39 A directs the State to provide free legal aid to the poor and weaker sections of the society, to promote justice on the basis of equal opportunity.
Further, Article 14 and 22 (2) of the Constitution ensures equality before law. Also, the United Nations Sustainable Development – Goal 16 underscores the obligation of States ‘to ensure equal access to justice for all’.
Keeping in line with these obligations and with a view to encourage pro bono legal services the Department of Justice (DoJ) intends to create a database of lawyers willing to provide their services to litigants identified under Section 12 of The Legal Services Authority Act of 1987.

Pro Bono legal service India

Founded in October 2016.
With an aim to integrate legal aid and awareness initiatives – ProBono India has ventured into different avenues viz. legal aid, legal awareness, legal intervention, legal journalism, legal activism etc. – all with the underlying objective of contributing to the positive development of the society with a strong socio-legal approach.
The activities at ProBono India include an active dissemination of legal information via the medium of its official website, rolling internship programmes for law students to help them develop a holistic personality with a socio-legal approach to their professional personality, interviews with eminent personalities working at the ground-level offering insights into their successful projects, providing a platform to promote and publish the art of research and legal writing, amongst many others.
The team of ProBono India works to promote legal activism as we believe that law and society are two sides of the same coin.
Law and society are so inextricably interdependent that both need to be equally improved in order to lead the world into the desired new order.

Objectives

To encourage lawyers and legal professionals to provide pro bono legal services
To recognize pro bono legal work being provided by lawyers and legal professionals
To create a database capturing vital information of lawyers for appropriate positions in the relevant field

Eligibility of lawyers and legal professionals to register for the service

Has enrolled with a Bar Council
Has been practicing as an advocate at the Bar
Age is no bar for creating a profile for pro bono
Those between 44-54 years of age will be provided the option to provide additional information if interested to be considered for appropriate positions.