The Inauguration of the Legal Aid Unit
The Inauguration of the Legal Aid Unit of the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo will be held on the 6th of May 2016 from 3.00 pm onwards at the Ceylon Room of the Faculty of Law.
The Legal Aid Unit is a collaboration between the staff and students of the faculty of law, and affiliated Attorneys at Law, who together aim to provide essential legal services pro bono to those who do not otherwise have access to these services.
Access to justice is a right that facilitates all other rights in that it makes them actionable if violated, thus being a prerequisite for them being enforceable. In reality however there are many who cannot afford accessing justice and the court system, or essential legal advice important to their lives. As legal proceedings become increasingly expensive and long drawn, much of society gets excluded from the system in this way.
Legal aid plays the role of bridging this gap in society, by providing legal services to those who have no other alternative. This is the motivation for the launch of the Legal Aid Unit of the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo, which aims to provide pro bono legal assistance to deserving clients. The unit aims to provide two facilities, a consultation program through which clients will receive legal advice from attorneys, and an in-house aid program through which selected cases will be taken up in litigation.
The Unit will be accessible to the public on Fridays between 3.00 pm – 8.00 pm. The Legal Aid Unit of the Faculty of Law will be located on the premises of the faculty, and will function with the collaboration of lawyers and law students. It can be accessed by prior appointment which can be made by calling 0113159090 or 0713868283 during office hours.
