Law Week 2011:

An opportunity to obtain free legal advice

The main objective of the Law Week, being held for the 4th time, is to raise awareness among citizens of their rights, duties, privileges and remedies and create a law-abiding society for sustainable development.

Chairman of Law Week 2011 Committee, U.R. de Silva and its convener Charmaine Madurasinghe, have taken the initiative this year to hold Law Week 2011 under the theme "The role of the lawyer towards national peace and harmony," in three phases.

During the third phase from November 21 to 25, several branch associations of the BASL will hold legal awareness programmes in their respective areas culminating with the Law Week 2011 Exhibition to be held at the Court premises, Hulftsdorp Street, Colombo 12 on November 20 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. offering free legal advice to the visitors by eminent members of the legal profession.

The BASL is also hopeful of having approximately 40 government/private institutions which will operate stalls during the exhibition and visitors will have access to them to obtain information and assistance with regard to their queries and problems.

This year, one of the key objectives of Law Week 2011, is to conduct a survey of remand prisoners languishing in prison for over a year sans an indictment and to provide such information to the Attorney General's Department seeking their instructions and subsequently to keep their families informed of the status quo.

If you have any legal issues (not subject to litigation) you may call the hotline 0727660660 and obtain a Reference Number.

Admission is free to all the above events.

During the first phase (Eastern Province), the BASL in collaboration with the United Nations Development Project (UNDP) held a seminar for lawyers on November 4 and two legal aid clinics offering free legal advice to the public the following day, at the Divisional Secretariat Office in Kiran, Batticaloa North with special emphasis on orphans, child abuse and land matters and on November 6 at the Divisional Secretariat Office in Vellavely, covering South and West Batticaloa.

During the second phase, (Northern Province), the BASL with UNDP held three legal aid clinics offering free legal advice to the public at the Divisional Secretariat Office in Vavuniya on November 10, 11 and 12 and a seminar for lawyers at the Vavuniya Court Auditorium on November 13.