Dubai: More than 3,000 registered advocates and legal consultants will offer pro-bono legal services to the public, thanks to Dubai’s Legal Affairs Department that launched a smart platform on Tuesday.
The department launched the smart platform for pro-bono legal services as part of its participation in the Dubai International Government Achievements Exhibition.
The smart platform is part of the department’s endeavours to promote voluntary work by advocates and legal consultants in the Dubai to members of the public, according to the department’s director-general, Dr Lowai Mohammad Bel Houl.
“The initiative was inspired by the directives of the visionary leadership of the UAE, led by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Pro Bono legal work aims to foster a culture of charity and giving throughout the UAE and is particularly fitting as 2018 was declared [Year of Zayed] to commemorate the founding father, who established supreme values of charity and giving to all people,” Dr Bel Houl told a media gathering on Tuesday.
The launch of the smart platform is part of an overall strategy adopted by the department, according to Dr Bel Houl, who said the initiative establishes a permanent channel of communication between law firms and members of the public, in particular for individuals who cannot afford to pay for legal services.
“We are committed to providing a clear mechanism for obtaining legal advice in an innovative manner and providing members of the public with access to a large database of pro bono legal services provided by law firms with experience in various legal disciplines,” said Dr Bel Houl.
Giving further details about the smart platform, Dr Bel Houl said the initiative enables advocacy and legal consultancy firms to participate by registering their data, legal disciplines and time slots during which they are willing to provide pro bono legal services to the public.
The director-general further explained that to utilise the platform, members of the public must log on to the platform, choose their preferred language and communication method, and determine the legal discipline in which they seek legal advice.
“Based on those information, the platform will display a list of advocacy and legal consultancy firms and the time slots available for providing legal services. The member of the public can then select a suitable 15-minute slot,” he concluded.
