55%

of lawyers in Russia report that they are currently providing pro bono work. Another 18% said that they had offered free legal aid in the past.

In Russia, free legal aid can be provided both by the state and privately to citizens with incomes below the subsistence level, as well as to socially vulnerable categories of the population (e.g., minors, pensioners, people with disabilities, war veterans, people suffering from mental illness, and others). However, donation of legal services – i.e., so-called ‘pro bono publico’ work (from the Latin) – is not as common in Russia as it is in Europe and the United States.

These data are presented in a study by Anton Kazun, Junior Research Fellow at the HSE International Centre for the Study of Institutions and Development.