Legal professionals from numerous law firms joined with general counsels from foundation member companies at the offices of Carey to participate in the development of a constitutional education program.
As of December 2019, the Pro Bono Foundation, in alliance with social organizations that work in different areas of development, will implement a legal education program in which it will deliver knowledge to the community to promote informed decision making after the constituent process, whose first stage of citizen participation will be in April 2020 with an entry referendum.
The activity included a welcome from Carey’s partner, Gonzalo Fernández, and the president of the foundation, Pablo Guerrero, who placed special emphasis on the importance of lawyers who will be part of the organization’s program contributing to citizen training both in the use of a language of common understanding and from a technical vision. He also called on them to listen and be part of the different opinions and visions of the people who will attend these talks.
The meeting was divided in two parts: the first, which was led by María Paz Garafulic, had a pedagogical profile with a focus on learning and emotions, with the aim of achieving a good transfer of content and proximity in the talks. The second part focused on constitutional law and the process that will be carried out in the country. It was led Verónica Undurraga, a lawyer and board member of the foundation.
“Currently, there is an excess of information in the environment and at the same time many questions about everything in reference to the constituent process. We believe that lawyers must take an active role in this, training as impartially as possible so that people can participate freely and informally. In that sense, the purpose of the meeting is to all be aligned and prepared for this challenge”, stated Carolina Contreras, executive director of the Pro Bono Foundation.
Constitutional Program
As part of its objective of supporting civil society, Pro Bono maintains alliances with multiple social organizations to which it provides legal advice and legal education for its beneficiaries. In that context, lawyers lead talks regarding law to diverse groups, including children, adolescents, adults, migrants and entrepreneurs, taking into special consideration matters of interest to these communities. The talks on the constitutional process complement the tax and labor law talks that are aimed at small entrepreneurs affected by the social crisis. Additionally, the “Legal Aid Chile” program provides legal guidance in emergency cases.
December 12th, 2019
Source: Pro Bono Foundation