Pro bono legal work to address inequalities in access to justice

Access to justice is still unequal in Brazil

Brazil has the highest proportion of lawyers per capita in the world — about 1 for every 164 Brazilians — and houses more than 1,800 law schools, a number that exceeds the total number of law courses in the rest of the world and fuels debates within the National Bar Association about the quality of teaching.

Nevertheless, many people, groups, and organizations are unable to access qualified legal advice when their rights are at risk. The lack of resources, information, institutional structure, and support channels deepens inequalities and limits the exercise of citizenship.

In Brazil, legal assistance is organized between private law firms—which include the attorneys-in-fact—and the Public Defender’s Office, an essential institution that must be permanently strengthened. Where it does not yet reach, pro bono lawyering adds to it as another way to expand access to justice.

Pro bono advocacy is a concrete way to address this situation: by offering voluntary and free legal services, the legal community helps reduce barriers to access to justice and strengthen the protection of rights.

Pro bono advocacy does not replace public policies for legal assistance. It expands the possibilities for the legal community to work towards access to justice.

Access to justice is not just access to the Judiciary. It is also access to information, legal guidance, risk prevention, institutional strengthening, and a real possibility to claim rights.