Chile: Key Legal Authorities Sign Pro Bono Declaration for the Americas
Note from GNJI Administrator: This posting was originally published in Spanish earlier today.
Chile with the signing of the Pro Bono Declaration for the Americas by leading practitioners from the Chilean legal community. Guillermo Morales, a lawyer at Morales, Valdivieso & Besa in Santiago and a member of the Declaration’s drafting committee, and board members of Fundación Pro Bono – Chile’s leading pro bono referral organization – met in October with Judge Enrique Tapia, President of the Chilean Supreme Court of Justice, who signed the Declaration on behalf of the judicial branch. They also met with Under-Secretary of Justice Veronica Barahona, who signed the Declaration on behalf of the Chilean Ministry of Justice and the Chilean government. In mid August, Enrique Barros, President of the Chilean Bar Association (Colegio de Abogados de Chile), also signed the Declaration on August 17, giving added impetus to the importance of the initiative. The Pro Bono Declaration for the Americas establishes a definition of pro bono and sets a minimum commitment of 20 hours of pro bono work per lawyer per year, with a 3 year period for implementing the commitment. The Declaration formally enters into force on January 1, 2008, at which time the period for founding signatories will come to a close. It is in the process of being subscribed to in several countries across the Americas.
Photos: Left: Enrique Tapia, president of the Supreme Court, greets Guillermo Morales and Pablo Guerrero, member of the drafting committee and president of Fundacion pro Bono, respectively. Right: Enrique Barros, President of the Chilean Bar Association, signs the Declaration.
