On the afternoon of January 12th, a working delegation of the Law Committee of the National Assembly (NA) led by Mrs. Tran Thi Dung – Deputy Head of the NA’s Committee had a meeting with the Provincial People’s Committee (PPC) in relation to survey of performing law on legal aid.

Receiving the delegation were Vice Chairman of the PPC Vo Van Canh, representatives of Departments, sectors. In addition, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Council Nguyen Thanh Hiep, Deputy Head of the Provincial Parliament Delegates Y Khut Nie, sections of the provincial People’s Council, the provincial Lawyers Association, Bar Federation also attended the meeting.

Overview of the meeting

At the working session, the PPC said that system of legal aid organizations (LA) in the province has been strengthened end effectively operated. At present, Dak Lak has a legal aid Center directly under the provincial Department of Justice, 03 branches of the inter-district legal aid Center, 12 legal-aid participating organizations. The LA staff includes 7 legal-aid providing persons, 23 legal-aid collaborators who are lawyers, and other 131 collaborators. 

Director of Department of Justice Nguyen Minh Thuan reports the implementation of law on legal aid in the province.

From 2007 to 2015, legal aid organizations in the province resolved 18,044 cases, in which 1,620 cases were settled by legal-aid participating organizations, 16,424 cases were solved by the provincial legal aid Center. Cases implemented by the provincial legal aid Center consist of 959 cases related to participation in legal proceedings, 15,412 cases related to legal counseling, 12 cases related to representation beyond legal proceedings, 4 cases related to reconciliation and 37 other cases. 

For legal aid beneficiaries, the provincial LA Center has assisted the total number of 16,424 people including 7,370 poor people, 7,590 ethnic minority people, 673 people with meritorious services to the revolution, 45 elderly people, 72 children, 71 disabled people and 602 other subjects. Assessment of the PPC showed that the quality of LA cases have been improved, especially proceedings participating activities. This improvement has been reflected on the basis of 100% of evaluated cases ensuring the quality. During the process of proceedings, legal aid providing persons have protected rights and benefits of subjects. Assistants, lawyers and collaborators have received the support and coordination of proceedings-conducting agencies as well as high appreciation related to their spirit and attitude about serving legal aid beneficiaries.

Vice Chairman of the PPC speaks at the meeting

Through the reality of legal aid services in Dak Lak province, the PPC suggested amending the Law on Legal Aid on the basic of fully institutionalizing the Party and State’s guidelines and viewpoints on hunger eradication and poverty reduction, gratitude and human rights policies, etc. The PPC also suggested the expansion of legal aid beneficiaries including both the poor and ethnic minority groups in remote areas with difficult socio-economic situation. Besides, the PPC proposed building regulations on standards and criteria for appointing legal aid officials; unchanging the legal aid structure in Dak Lak province; issuing mandatory provisions of criteria for lawyers annually participating in legal aid.   

Mrs. Tran Thi Dung – Deputy Head of the NA’s Law Committee concludes the working session

Concluding the working session, Mrs. Tran Thi Dung – Deputy Head of the NA’s Law Committee highlighted the Dak Lak’s achievements in the legal aid field. She said that Dak Lak was the fifth province which was surveyed and understood legal aid by the Law Committee, and despite of a large area and many ethnic minority groups, the legal aid field in Dak Lak province was implemented effectively and suitably. The delegation would collect Dak Lak’s suggestions, and said would summarize and report Dak Lak’s legal aid situation to the NA, helping the NA and its delegates understanding about the legal aid situation at grassroots; contributing to amendments of the Law on Legal aid.