At the Xom Chieu Ward Public Administration Service Center, a Free Legal Consulting Group was established. Ms. Giang Hai Yen, Specialist of the Ward Fatherland Front Committee, said that this model operates on a voluntary basis, gathering 7 members who are experienced, from former judges, lawyers to university lecturers.
"This model has no allowances, no salaries or costs. The members are all heartfelt people who want to help people," Ms. Yen emphasized.
The consulting team works according to a specific schedule, answering people's questions on the spot. Simple cases are directly consulted. For complex cases, the Team will record and transfer them to more in-depth members. In particular, the Group also received close coordination from notary offices and lawyers, ready to provide free legal services with high costs for poor and near-poor people.
After only 10 days of operation, the Group has received many requests. A typical case is a person with a disability living alone who needs to make a free will. The team quickly contacted the notary to go to their house to complete the procedures, and fully support the costs. Ms. Yen shared: "This is a very difficult case. The will will will help him feel more secure, while ensuring that the assets are handled according to his wishes".
As one of the first members to join the Advisory Group, Mr. Truong Thanh Lam, a lawyer at the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association, said that he did not hesitate to accept the assignment. "I just think simply to support and help people. I understand the law and want to disseminate it to the people so that they can grasp and properly implement the process," Mr. Lam shared.
Mr. Truong Thanh Lam recounted the case of a woman whose husband had just passed away. This person needs to go through the procedure to receive inheritance, a rather complicated procedure. The consulting team guided her with all the necessary documents, helping her save time and effort in traveling. "We advise and provide legal aid for all documents and regulations that people need. The purpose is to help people improve their legal knowledge, live and work in accordance with state regulations," he emphasized.
After only a few days of operation, the number of people coming to the consultation has increased, showing that the demand of the people is very large. Having a free legal consultation point right in the ward has helped people solve problems quickly.
Not only in Xom Chieu ward, this model is also replicated in Thu Duc ward. The free legal consultation point here is jointly implemented by the Youth Union of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association and the Thu Duc Ward Youth Union.
This model does not stop at consulting. According to the plan, the parties will also organize updates and dissemination of new legal regulations on tax, business registration, labor, food safety and hygiene... to business owners and employees.
In particular, to propagate to students, the model in Thu Duc will organize mock trials based on real cases or situations related to common violations of the law among adolescents such as school violence, cyber security, property theft... This is a creative way, helping them easily access and understand the law, thereby raising their awareness of compliance.
