Leaving no one behind when it comes to legal aid

On the morning of October 17, in Hanoi, the Department of Legal Dissemination, Education and Legal Aid, Ministry of Justice, organized a seminar with the theme "Improving institutions, policies and laws to improve the effectiveness of legal aid in the new era".

Managers and legal aid workers looked back on the 8-year journey of implementing the Law on Legal Aid (LLA), pointed out "bottlenecks" and proposed breakthrough solutions.

More than 230,000 cases of assistance

Conference scene. Photo: HL.

Deputy Director of the Department of Legal Dissemination, Education and Legal Aid Vu Thi Huong said that the latest updated data shows that the country has 53 State Legal Aid Centers and 83 branches, with about 1,440 people providing legal aid, including over 710 legal assistants, more than 700 lawyers and hundreds of collaborators. After the 2017 Law on Legal Aid took effect, the entire system has handled more than 234,000 legal aid cases, of which nearly 60% were litigation cases, helping hundreds of thousands of poor people, meritorious people, women, children and ethnic minorities to protect their legitimate rights and interests.

Not only in big cities, TGPL has reached remote areas - where people have little access to legal services. In Lai Chau , one of the most difficult localities in the country, from 2018 to now, the Provincial TGPL Center has handled more than 2,400 cases, of which more than 80% are ethnic minorities.

“There are cases where the helpers have to cross mountains and forests to reach the people. For them, legal aid is not just a job, but a humanitarian mission,” said a representative of Lai Chau Legal Aid Center.

Still many "bottlenecks"

Hanoi Bar Association disseminates traffic laws to students in Long Bien ward. Photo: PV

Despite many positive results, the legal aid system still faces many challenges. Reflections at the discussion show that the first shortcoming is that the subjects of legal aid are still narrow, not covering groups such as households that have just escaped poverty, people with severe disabilities, and victims of human trafficking. The field of legal aid is limited and does not apply to business and commercial activities, making it difficult for many poor people to access legal advice when they want to start a business or borrow capital to escape poverty.

Lawyers help the poor and meritorious people in Hanoi to protect their legal rights and interests. Photo: Ha Lan

Human resources are still limited, with more than 700 legal assistants nationwide - a number that is not commensurate with the growing needs of the people. Not to mention, the regime and policies for the legal assistant team are still inadequate. They have qualifications equivalent to lawyers, undertake complex work, but there is no appropriate mechanism for treatment, rewards and career protection, causing many talented people to not be interested in sticking with it for a long time.

More notably, the Ministry of Justice has integrated a number of administrative procedures in the field of legal aid into the National Public Service Portal, aiming to allow people to look up information and submit legal aid requests online.

However, feedback from the grassroots shows that the implementation of digital legal aid is still facing difficulties. In mountainous areas, where ethnic minorities live, typically Lam Dong province, many people lack access to the internet. Many opinions say that in order for online legal aid to truly reach the people, it is necessary to clearly define the process, legal value of electronic records, authentication mechanism via VNeID and especially coordination between the legal aid center and detention facilities, courts, and police in receiving remote requests.

Faced with the above shortcomings, Deputy Director of the Department of Legal Dissemination, Education and Legal Aid Vu Thi Huong said that the Ministry of Justice is proposing to amend and supplement the 2017 Law on Legal Aid, expected to be submitted to the 16th National Assembly for consideration in April 2026.

Major orientations include: Expanding the scope of legal aid, including people with severe disabilities, households that have just escaped poverty, victims of human trafficking, and children in violation of the law. Diversifying the forms of free legal aid, legalizing mediation activities, legal propaganda, and online legal aid. Improving the quality of human resources, creating a mechanism for legal aid workers to transition to lawyers when qualified.

At the same time, invest in digital infrastructure, form a "Digital Legal Aid" platform, electronic records, and comprehensive online services, ensuring transparency, convenience, and information security.

On the part of legal aid experts, many opinions also recommended developing a widespread network of legal aid collaborators, connecting centers, lawyers and social organizations through digital platforms; enhancing training, fostering professional skills, communication skills, and international integration; at the same time, investing in modern facilities and means so that legal aid is not only a "free legal service", but also a "fair legal service for everyone".

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/khong-de-ai-bi-bo-lai-phia-sau-khi-can-tro-giup-phap-ly-719993.html