China encourages lawyers to participate in pro bono legal service

Source: Xinhua| 2019-10-23 19:05:17|Editor: huaxia
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BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Justice on Wednesday released a document to boost lawyers' participation in pro bono legal services.

The document encourages lawyers to address the need for legal support of special social groups including migrant workers, people with disabilities, elderly people, women and juveniles while providing pro bono legal services, said Zhou Yuansheng, director of the Department of Directing Lawyers and Notarization with the ministry, at a press conference Wednesday.

Lawyers are also expected to provide pro bono legal service in various forms, including serving as community-level legal consultants, taking part in legal knowledge promotion and working in border regions or underdeveloped areas, Zhou said.

The document calls for an improved incentive mechanism to encourage broader participation of lawyers in pro bono legal services and efforts to enable wider access to such legal services online.

It proposed that each lawyer spend at least 50 hours providing pro bono legal services or handle at least two legal aid cases each year.

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