The Lagos State Government on Friday said it had provided free quality legal representation to 423 indigent persons under its Public Interest Law Partnership (LPILP) programme.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Mr Ade Ipaye, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, made this known in a statement issued ahead of the state’s 2014 Pro bono Week.
“Access to justice by deserving, disadvantaged self-represented parties, who have meritorious legal issues, is classified as a right for all Lagos residents.
“The orientation of the state government has changed and more emphasis is now placed on rendering free legal services to the indigent and disadvantaged in our society,” he said.
Ipaye said the government decided to inaugurate the LPILP in November 2012 as a platform for partnering with private law firms and NGOs.
According to him, the provision of pro bono services will expand access to justice and further secure the rights of every citizen to justice, irrespective of his or her financial means.
Ipaye said the LPILP currently had 61 law firms and four NGOs as its partners.
He added that 166 pro bono cases had been screened and transferred to registered law firms through the collaborative effort.