On 1-5 October, RRT held a study visit to United States, organized in collaboration with American partner organization Refugee Solidarity Network (RSN). The study visit focused on the US experience in pro bono partnerships between law firms and NGOs for the delivery of legal representation services to asylum seekers and migrants.
During the study visit, the RRT Delegation had meetings with two legal aid organizations that deliver assistance to asylum seekers, the Legal Aid Society (LAS) and Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) as well as various law firms that extend pro bono services in the state of New York. RSN and RRT plan to explore possibilities for mobilizing similar pro bono partnerships in Turkey between NGOs and law firms. In preparation for this effort, last year RSN researched and published a paper on the structure and operation of such pro bono partnerships in the US context as a point of reference. In the coming months, RRT intends to launch pilot pro bono partnerships with selected law firms based in Istanbul with a view to exploring the potentials of the pro bono delivery model in Turkey as an additional capacity for refugee legal aid complementary to the state-funded legal aid scheme and NGO legal assistance services.
The study visit was conducted in the framework of a project implemented by RRT in partnership with RSN and the financial backing of US State Department Bureau for Population Refugees and Migration (PRM).