Pro bono - Our goal of having a positive societal impact and giving back
ACC Europe's mission is to build a greater awareness and understanding of pro bono culture among in-house counsel in Europe, with a view of encouraging all in-house counsels to engage in pro bono work and to use their legal skills to help those unable to afford legal service. We are committed to empowering our members to engage in pro bono opportunities with a goal to serve the
community, to fight against injustice, to preserve access to the courts and to enforce the rule of law.
To that end, we will launch programs to educate in-house counsel on pro bono opportunities; why it matters and its value to the
individual in-house counsel, legal departments and businesses in Europe; and take steps to help with the development of internal
pro bono programs collaborating with others (including legal departments, law firms, not-for-profits) to build a community and serve pro bono clients.
Why Probono is needed in Europe?
Access to justice is still low in Europe and in-house counsels can play an important role to fill the existing gaps (1) by matching legal needs with competent lawyers and (2) high cost of legal services + acknowledgement in the European Convention on Human Rights Article 6 (3)(c) guarantees the right to legal assistance where defendant has insufficient means to pay for legal assistance.