The Hindu                    09.04.2013

Legal aid clinic at corporation office

A legal aid clinic to offer free legal advice and services to people has been opened at the corporation office here. Established by the District Legal Services Authority, the clinic will function twice a week – on Monday and Thursday - between 10.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. with a paralegal volunteer trained in basic laws and a panel lawyer on rotation basis deputed to it.

Principal District and Sessions Judge P. Velmurugan inaugurated the clinic in the presence of Mayor R. Jaya, lawyers, and civic body officials. Similar clinics are already functioning at the collectorate office, Srirangam taluk office, Andhanallur panchayat union office, Tiruverambur panchayat union office, Bharathidasan University’s Khajamalai campus, Government Law College, Tiruchi, Jamal Mohamed College, Chidambaram Pillai Women’s College, and Holy Cross College.

Besides offering legal advice, the clinic will lend its assistance by giving initial advice on a problem, help in drafting representations, and notices, and fill up forms to enable people avail of various benefits under different government schemes, public distribution system, and other social security schemes.

It will liaise with government offices and public authorities to aid the litigant public approaching the clinic for solving their problems. The paralegal volunteer will provide initial advice to those seeking legal services and assist the panel lawyer deputed to the clinic in drafting petitions, applications, pleadings, and other legal documents.

The paralegal volunteer or lawyer will attempt to amicably resolve the pre-litigation disputes brought to the clinic.