Pro Bono

One of directions of Getsadze & Pateishvili Law Office is the implementation of strategic legal proceedings within Pro Bono (socially beneficial) activity.

Our Law Firm has chosen as a major direction for the Pro Bono activity the most problematic issues at present in Georgia, which requires legal support until the system of legal assistance and social defender is established in Georgia. Currently, the availability of the legal assistance for socially unprotected sections of population is not provided in our country and the draft law on legal assistance is in the process of elaboration.

Our firm considers that in order to ensure the availability of legal assistance, it is necessary to provide, within the pro bono activity, a free legal assistance to certain categories of social groups and, in this way, to contribute to the establishment of the system of legal assistance.

The company has selected the following fields for the implementation of Pro Bono activity:

* Trafficking

* Domestic violence

Trafficking as a transnational crime is a world problem. Very often Georgia not only performs the function of a transit state, but also its nationals themselves are victims of this crime. It was exactly the importance of this problem which has necessitated the legislative changes in Georgia. In 2006, the special law on the fight against trafficking in human beings was adopted and the changes were introduced to the Criminal Code of Georgia, in addition, Georgia has ratified the Council of Europe Convention on the fight against trafficking in human beings the United Nations Conventions against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols.

Currently, Georgia is actively involved in the international campaign on fight against trafficking. It is obvious that during the last period the facts of trafficking in human beings have been increased and therefore, the number of injured parties and victims of crime of trafficking has been increased.

In addition, there is a growing social interest as regards the revealing the crime of trafficking and the protection of the victims. It is known fact that victims/injured parties usually belong to vulnerable category and for this reason we consider reasonable the protection of their civil interests in reparation of moral, physical or material damages.

Law Office Getsadze & Pateishvili within the realm of the bilateral memorandum cooperates with the legal entity of public law - State foundation for the protection of and assistance to the victims and injured parties of trafficking. Our service within pro bono activity includes legal assistance to the victims/injured parties, representation of the legal interests of victims of trafficking and their protection before all instance courts and when necessary before administrative organs in Georgia. In addition, within pro bono activity Getsadze & Pateishvili provides free legal consultation to victims of domestic violence belonging to vulnerable category.

The main idea of pro bono activity is the provision of qualitative legal assistance to the representatives of the socially unprotected section of population who do not have financial recourses to make use of the services provided by the qualified law firms.