President of Russia: Common standards for legal aid provision

At the meeting in Gorki (Moscow Region) the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev emphasized the urgency of introduction of common standards for legal aid provision. He noted that the qualified legal aid should be provided both as a paid service and free of charge. 

Justice Minister Alexander Konovalv reported on a draft law, which specified two types of free of charge legal aid. The first type is supposed to provide the professional legal aid, including the representation of the individual’s interests in the court, and the establishment of state legal aid centers, which are now operating on an experimental basis in some regions.The second type of aid would give the public access to the broad range of free initial legal consultation services, which can involve the participation of both legal institutions as well as the practicing lawyers, who work in educational and research legal institutions.