Public Legal Services

     According to the Guidelines for Public Legal Assistance, enacted in 1993, any civilian who is unable to bear the cost of legal fees for criminal, civil, or administrative litigation may request the TBA for legal service.

     The TBA Board and the Public Legal Services Committee have made every effort to expand the category of legal services in recent years, such as legal counseling to arrested prisoners in the Taipei Detention Center. In particular, the TBA has enacted the “ules for Voluntary Defense for Defendants in Death Penalty Cases?Under these rules, the TBA has committed itself to dispatch, upon application, members to serve as defense counsel for any defendant facing the death penalty who lacks the financial capacity to retain his or her own counsel. From November 1993 to October 2001, the TBA accepted around sixty such cases .

     Since August 1994, the TBA has cooperated with the Taipei City Government to provide free legal counseling services through the municipal General Services Center during office hours. This service has answered an average of one thousand legal questions per year. In addition, the TBA cooperates with many other NGOs, especially those working with disadvantaged groups, to provide legal counseling and assistance.

     In September, 1999 the Board resolved to coordinate with the implementation of a pro bono defenders system carried out by the Taiwan High Court on a trial basis, which was called for at the Judicial Reform Conference. In the six months up to July 2001, the TBA had accepted 463 cases for pro bono defense under this program.