SC okays rules on free legal services for indigents

THE Supreme Court (SC) has approved the Unified Legal Aid Service (ULAS) Rules that governs the mandatory rendition of pro bono services by lawyers to indigent and other qualified beneficiaries.

SC spokesperson Camille Sue Ting said the magistrates approved the Rules during their regular en banc session last August 20.

The ULAS Rules govern the mandatory provision of pro bono legal aid services by covered lawyers to qualified beneficiaries, namely, indigents, members of marginalized sectors with respect to their public interest cases, and non-governmental and non-profit organizations, with respect to cases beneficial to indigents and members of marginalized sectors.

Earlier, Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said the ULAS Rules aims to put in place a unified and streamlined framework for free legal aid services in the country.

He added that the High Court, through the creation of the said Rules, hopes to give the indigent, underrepresented, and marginalized members of society full and effective access to justice.

“Prescinding from previous legal aid service rules, our proposed ULAS Rules seeks to make mandatory legal aid service in the country pursuant to the duty of every lawyer to participate in the development of a legal system, improve the administration of justice, and strengthen the judicial and legal system,” Gesmundo said last May during the fourth and final leg of the ULAS Regional Consultations, held at the University of San Agustin, Iloilo City.

“It will allow the aggregation of creditable hours by covered lawyers in registered organizations so that these organizations can determine who among its lawyers are best suited to address the needs of the qualified beneficiaries,” he added.

The SC previously said the drafting of the ULAS Rules took into consideration the earlier pushback in the implementation of the Mandatory Legal Aid Services (MLAS) and the Rule on Community Legal Aid Service (CLAS) issued in 2009 and 2017, respectively.

Both the MLAS and CLAS did not hold up in the face of challenges to their implementation and were suspended shortly after promulgation.