Apr11
As part of the efforts to further promote the LPILP, the partnership instituted the Annual Lagos State Pro Bono Week. The first of which took place from April 7-11 2014.
The events of the pro bono week included:
- Visits to the Nigerian Bar Association in the state to secure their commitment and involvement in providing pro bono services to indigent citizens.
- Legal Clinics at the Nigerian Law School where seventy (70) students provided free legal advice to real clients under the supervision of their lecturers and lawyers from LPILP partner law firms.
- Stakeholders’ conference to promote the pro bono ideology through thought-provoking knowledge exchange and to improve the LPILP, while eliciting commitment and involvement from additional law firms, NGOs, and organizations.
- Panel discussion at the Nigerian Law School featuring prominent personalities, including the Chief Judge of Lagos State, the Lagos State Attorney General, the President of PILNET/Professor of Law at Columbia University, the Senior Vice-President and General Counsel of Viacom International Media Networks, the Deputy Director General of the Nigerian Law School, and the LPILP Coordinator. The panel discussed “Public Interest Law—The Role of Lawyers in Bridging the Justice Gap.”
- Awards dinner where the Governor of Lagos State handed out commendation letters to law firms that distinguished themselves in pro bono services under the LPILP scheme. This aims to encourage more lawyers to participate in providing free legal services under the scheme.
- Establishment of the Pro Bono Trust Fund.