UAE lawyers have come together to offer pro bono services to the public.
The Legal Hand launched this week with the aim of providing free legal advice to the public on matters relating to UAE law.
It is led by Trueman Padinjaral, a lawyer specialising in finance, technology, and intellectual property, who told Law Middle East the group has around 250 qualified lawyers committed to providing advice on matters ranging from family law to commercial law.
The pro bono initiative is supported by a group of lawyers called The Legal Classic, which launched under Padinjaral’s leadership earlier this year.
“This is an opportunity for anyone looking for assistance in the UAE to speak to a senior lawyer to clarify preliminary queries and get a second opinion on matters,” he said.
“We have capabilities in almost all areas in the UAE because of our sheer size.”
Padinjaral will review the queries before directing them to lawyers with relevant experience.
“The lawyer taking them up will be screened on their background, and I will offer a couple of hours of services for free,” he said.
The Legal Hand has so far received 30 queries, which have been directed to his team of pro bono lawyers.
Padinjaral said he is not aware of any lawyer or legal team offering pro bono services in the UAE at present.
“Many lawyers are willing to be part of the initiative and some of them have the requirement to complete a specific number of pro bono hours as part of their regulatory licensing,” he said, adding:
“We want to give back to society and help people who cannot afford legal services.”
