Last year, 274,000 appeals were made to pro-bono lawyers – up 26,000 on 2020, De Morgen reports. The services of pro-bono lawyers are increasingly sought to help the most needy.
“Justice cannot be dependent on income,” Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne said, announcing the figures for the year. Belgian law seeks to enshrine equal access to justice for all citizens, regardless of financial status or origin. There is, nevertheless, a threshold for receiving a lawyer on a pro-bono basis.
“Many people mistakenly think that you can only apply for a pro-bono lawyer if you have to go to court, but you can also ask for free assistance from a lawyer, such as legal advice, filing of a complaint or drawing up repayment schedules,” spokesperson for Advocaat.be Sofie Demeyer told De Morgen.
Despite this, over the last few years, the judiciary has been tightening the thresholds for receiving free legal representation or advice.
Expanding legal access
At the end of 2020, the income ceiling for completely free, or second-line legal representation for individuals was raised from €1,026 to €1,226 and from €1,317 to €1,571 for families. For the next three years, these limits will be increased by €100 each year, which will increase eligibility significantly.
In some cases, this means that the maximum income for receiving support is rising by up to 20% each year. For children, pro-bono support is always available and free of charge.
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With the threshold for eligibility increasing, more and more Belgians are ultimately seeking the services of these lawyers. FPS Justice, through the Order of Flemish Bars and the French-speaking Avocats.be, paid out around 120 million in fees to lawyers who provided their services pro-bono.
Compared to 2019-2020 judicial year, there was a 9% increase in the number of demands for pro-bono representation. However, with increased financial thresholds coming into effect next month and rapidly growing household expenses, demand is expected to grow sharply.
Van Quickenborne called this a “good thing” and added that “in a constitutional state, everyone should always have equal access to a lawyer.”
