Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC) is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

organisation that provide pro bono publico assistance via a network of

legal advice Legal advice is the giving of a professional or formal opinion regarding the substance or procedure of the law in relation to a particular factual situation. The provision of legal advice will often involve analyzing a set of facts and advising a ...

clinics throughout the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

. They have been involved in a number of notable law cases including Airey v. Ireland.

History

FLAC was created in April 1969, a group of law students who used their legal knowledge to provide advice and information to those who could not afford the

fees A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead (business), overhead, wages, costs, and Profit (accounting), markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Repu ...

involved. They promoted access to legal redress for all, regardless of economic status. It was through this work that they hoped to advance their ultimate objective: influence the government into instituting a comprehensive plan providing civil legal aid to those in need. FLAC’s operations expanded rapidly. By 1972, 2,437 cases had been handled. By 1974, this had risen to over 8000. In some ways, these efforts distracted from the greater campaign for state-funded civil legal aid. Yet, ultimately it was a threat by FLAC to withdraw these services which forced the government to take action on civil legal aid. Responding to FLAC’s campaign, the government formed the Pringle Committee in 1974 to address the issue of civil legal aid in Ireland. Meanwhile, FLAC continued its own efforts, achieving one of its early ambitions in 1975 by opening the first community law centre in Ireland. In 1977, the Pringle Committee published its Report calling for the provision of state-funded legal aid centres and for individuals to be educated about their rights, echoing the demands made by FLAC. However, the government remained slow to implement the Pringle Report. FLAC would emerge as central to two events which finally pressured the government to take action. The first was the landmark ECHR case, Airey v. Ireland which challenged the prohibitive costs of a legal separation as breaching an individual's access to justice. Supported by FLAC and represented by

Mary Robinson Mary Therese Winifred Robinson ( ga, Máire Mhic Róibín; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who was the 7th president of Ireland, serving from December 1990 to September 1997, the first woman to hold this office. Prior to her electi ...

, Josie Airey won her case against the state and assurances of an adequate scheme of legal aid were secured from the government. FLAC has inspired individuals and groups in other parts of the world to replicate its initiatives. One example is of Advocate Obaid Naseem Chaudhry of Islamabad, who is also providing free legal advice services.

References

{{reflist Human rights organizations