How can legal aid volunteer work be carried out? The two departments issued management measures

On May 31, 2020, volunteers walked into the construction site of the Talent Apartment Project in Feixi County, Anhui Province, to distribute a knowledge manual for the rights protection of migrant workers, provide legal advice and legal aid. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Cao Li

What are the responsibilities of a legal aid volunteer? Who can become a legal aid volunteer? A few days ago, the Ministry of Justice and the Central Civilization Office jointly issued the "Measures for the Management of Legal Aid Volunteers", which stipulates the principles and scope of services for legal aid volunteers, application conditions, rights and obligations, and service management.

The measures make it clear that the scope of legal aid volunteers' services includes: providing legal consultation, drafting legal documents on behalf of others, criminal defense and agency, civil cases, administrative cases, litigation representation and non-litigation representation in state compensation cases, legal assistance for duty lawyers, labor dispute mediation and arbitration agency, etc.; providing foreign language, minority language translation, psychological counseling and other related services for recipients; providing barrier-free services such as Braille and sign language translation for disabled recipients in need; and providing support for legal aid fund raising. Participate in legal aid publicity, training, theoretical research, case quality assessment, etc.

Legal aid institutions are responsible for organizing and implementing legal aid volunteer service activities, and may entrust public institutions or social organizations to recruit legal aid volunteers to carry out legal aid volunteer service activities. Institutions of higher learning and scientific research institutions may organize personnel engaged in legal education and research work and law students to serve as legal aid volunteers, providing legal consultation, drafting legal documents, case representation, labor dispute mediation and arbitration agency services for citizens with economic difficulties and other parties who meet legally prescribed requirements in accordance with law. Where trade unions, the Communist Youth League, women's federations, disabled persons' federations, and other mass organizations organize recruitment on their own, they shall accept the legal aid institution's operational guidance, guide volunteers to implement legal aid service standards, and record and register relevant work.

The measures require that judicial-administrative organs coordinate and participate in relevant departments of legal aid volunteer service, establish and complete incentive mechanisms for legal aid volunteer service, carry out publicity on legal aid volunteer service, provide necessary funding, training, and site support, and promote legal aid volunteers to enjoy preferential reward policies in areas such as school attendance and public services.

Reporter: Bai Yang

Edit: Chu Hang