While certain Virgin Islands attorneys have provided free legal advice to needy residents for years, obtaining such counsel has often depended on knowing the right person and that person’s availability.
Commercial Court Deputy Registrar Noni Georges and a small group of her fellow attorneys are trying to change that through the establishment of the BVI Pro Bono Project, a clinic that provides legal advice to people who can’t afford a lawyer.
“Lawyers have been doing pro bono for years, but this is the first coordinated effort,” explained Vicky Lord, a senior associate at Harneys and the BVI PBP co-organiser.
Ms. Georges, who is heading the project, said the idea to create a free legal organisation has been on her mind for years. With Ms. Lord in the United Kingdom learning exactly how to establish such a clinic, as well as the law firm Maples and Calder donating $10,000 to the cause, now is the perfect time to get the operation off the ground, she said.
The jury is still out on what kind of advice the clinic will provide, she continued, but test clinics over the last several months have drawn mostly people looking for advice in civil cases involving family matters.
However, she said that the BVI PBP likely will provide advice for people in criminal matters, too, as many of her colleagues told her such advice is most needed in the territory.
For now, however, the clinic will make lawyers available only during hours of operation, but it won’t provide representation in court.
The most recent clinic was held on Saturday from 4-6 p.m. Right now the clinic runs on a biweekly basis out of an office near Georges Kindercare, and Ms. Georges said she hopes that services will soon be available on a weekly basis.
See the Oct. 23, 2014 edition for full coverage.
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