Pro Bono Practices and Opportunities in Chile

Published on 15 May 2019 This is an overview of pro bono practices and opportunities in Chile, including key practice rules, culture, obstacles to undertaking pro bono and sources of pro bono opportunities.

Fundación Pro Bono was established in 2000 in acknowledgement that a significant proportion of the Chilean population did not have the monetary resources to obtain legal assistance. It plays a crucial role in the development of pro bono practice in Chile, focusing the legal assistance needs and distributing them among different collaborators (such as law firms, non-governmental organizations (“NGOs”), internal prosecutor's offices, among others). Likewise, in the development of pro bono practices in Chile, other relevant actors have emerged, such a University Legal Clinics, Legal Assistance Corporations, NGOs and private citizens. Pro bono work in Chile is crucial, especially considering that it aims to help low income society groups and emerging groups that, without pro bono help, would not be able to obtain suitable legal assistance and guidance regarding day by day activities and other needs. The latter, principally through the promotion of voluntary work and the provision of free legal services. Nonetheless, there is a lot of work still to be done in order to create awareness of the importance of the matter.