Pravna pomoć

Opening of the first Legal Aid Office in the Basic Court of the capital of Podgorica is an important project in the overall judiciary system, because it provides equal access to justice for all, regardless of their financial or social status,” said Mr. Duško Marković, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice in the Government of Montenegro. The first Legal Aid Office was opened by the Ministry of Justice of Montenegro, with the support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Montenegro and the Governments of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Norway.

The Law on Legal Aid adopted: UNDP assisted Montenegro in achieving equal access to courts for all citizens

The Parliament of Montenegro adopted the Law on Legal Aid, after a broad consultative process which was supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Montenegro, through its project " Reform of the Legal Aid System in Montenegro - Creating an Effective and Sustainable System of Providing Legal Aid". The Law stipulates that the citizens of lesser financial means are entitled to legal aid, hence helping to fulfil the constitutional determination of Montenegro that all citizens must be equal before the court, regardless of their special or personal characteristics.

At the Cabinet meeting held on 27 January 2011, chaired by the Prime Minister Igor Luksic, in the scope of the judicial reform process, the Government declared the Draft Law on legal aid. Establishing the legal aid system, the Government assessed, would contribute to further improvement of the access to justice and provision of equality before the law for all, which are the basic principles of the rule-of-law state.

 Draft_Law_on_Legal_Aid.pdf

Podgorica, 13-14 September 2010

Regional Human Rights and Justice Community of Practice Meeting

In the context of a growing interest and programme interventions in the area of legal aid, legal empowerment and alternative dispute resolution, UNDP Bratislava Regional Center together with UNDP Montenegro and its Rule of Law and Human Rights Programme organized a two-day Regional Community of Practice Meeting for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The meeting was held in Podgorica, Montenegro and it gathered members of the Community of Practice and their national counterparts. It aimed to discuss the specific challenges, issues and lessons learnt; showcase national experiences; learn from the practices in the region, with specific focus on disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, including minorities; and learn from Montenegrin experience.

The Ministry of Justice of Montenegro, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Montenegro and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) - Mission to Montenegro, organized a series of public debates about the working version of the Law on Legal Aid . The initial public debate was held in Podgorica, while the others were held on May 17th in Kotor (South), and on May 19th in Bijelo Polje (North of the country).

• 7 May 2010, Podgorica Hotel, Podgorica, at 10am,
• 17 May 2010, Vardar Hotel, Kotor, at 10am,
• 19 May 2010, Bijela Rada Hotel, Bijelo Polje, at 10am.

Hereby we invite you to take part in the Debate and thus contribute to the discussion on the Working version of the Law on legal aid, with the aim of:

• drafting law that is consistent with international standards (EU/UN);
• creating system that will thus improve access to justice for all
• establishing legal network that will serve he needs of clients
• contributing country's democratic consolidation in the process of Euro-Atlantic democratization.

The Project "Reform of the legal aid system - creating an effective and sustainable system of providing legal aid" presents a part of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Strategy for the Reform of Judiciary 2007-2012. Through this Project, access to justice will be enhanced as it will be easier for indigent parties to seek their rights in courts. The Project components are: 1. Drafting a law on legal aid; 2. Organizing public consultation rounds to discuss the draft; 3. Adoption of the law by the Parliament of Montenegro; 4. Developing the infrastructure to implement the law; 5. Training for staff who will disperse legal aid under the law; and 6. Public awareness and information campaign.