The foundation held its annual Coordinators Meeting, an important opportunity to share visions, experiences and concerns in order to revitalize and strengthen the daily relationship, work and the processes that are part of the pro bono referral cases to law firms and prosecutors’ offices.
On Tuesday, April 9, representatives from several firms gathered with the director of the Pro Bono Foundation, Rony Jara, and the executive director, Carolina Contreras. The following week, law firm representatives met with the foundation’s president, Pablo Guerrero; the director Pilar Aspillaga; and Carolina Contreras. The foundation team participated in both activities.
The 2018 Pro Bono Foundation performance figures were presented at these meetings, along with addressing those areas of law that have been widely present in the cases taken and those that need strengthening. Also, in both activities a group conversation was carried out to address in detail the difficulties and good practices implemented in law firms, information that was shared with the rest of those who came, at the end of the event.
In that context, Carolina Contreras conveyed how the pro bono work addresses those needs and problems crystallized in Chilean society, for which she presented central data published by the “Country Commitment” program of the Ministry of Social Development. These include 4,910,889 people over the age of 18 who are not studying and have not completed 12 years of schooling in Chile, which directly impacts their access to information and their quality of life. It was also shared that in Chile today, 21.6% of women have been victims of domestic violence in the last 12 months and it takes 7 years to report those abuses. Addtionally, 146,714 older adults dependent on the poorest 40% live alone, and are widely exposed to human rights abuses. This is the reality that the foundation addresses through cases, regarding legal education and a public policy reform.
At the end of these meetings, in which the foundation team participated, the 2018 Pro Bono Report was delivered.
May 23rd, 2019
Source: Pro Bono Foundation