Lawyers advocate building culture of pro-bono

Executive Director of the Justice Research Institute (JRI), Barrister Ikem Isiekwena, has urged his colleagues in the legal profession to note the importance and role of pro-bono, which includes promotion of the rule of law, increased access to justice, and the critical social justice role that it plays overall.

He said this while presenting a paper on “Closing the Justice Gap” at the start-up meeting on the fight against sexual and gender-based violence held in Oshogbo, Osun State. He described pro-bono as being a form of legal aid or assistance, where no payment is made to the lawyer and it comes at no cost to the client. 

He said the JRI, in collaboration with the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), and support of the Open Society Initiative of West Africa (OSIWA), is working to facilitate and promote pro-bono culture in Nigeria through the establishment of clearing houses at strategic locations in the country.The clearinghouses will have a central portal that will be used to connect partner lawyers and firms to indigent persons.