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.