Overview
Azerbaijan has a population of approximately 10.18 million individuals whose legal needs are served by lawyers and advocates. Lawyers and advocates can both provide legal services in Azerbaijan but only advocates can represent clients in court proceedings. There are approximately 2,828 [1] members of the Bar Association of Azerbaijan (the “Bar”) (referred to as “advocates”).
As of 14 October 2024, the number of advocates practicing in the capital, City of Baku, is 2,032 with the remaining 478 practicing in Azerbaijan’s other regions; approximately 250 advocates practice as independent lawyers with the remaining majority associated with advocate bureaus (i.e. law firms). There are 138 advocate bureaux in the country (the number of individual practitioners (advocates) has not been reported).
Individuals who are unable to afford a lawyer are entitled to receive legal aid (legal services provided at a low rate and reimbursed by the state), in accordance with. However, lawyers (including advocates) in Azerbaijan are not obliged to provide, or report on, pro bono legal services and, currently, formal pro bono programs are rare amongst Azerbaijani law firms and corporate legal departments. Pro bono legal services are therefore infrequently provided by lawyers in Azerbaijan and pro bono is not institutionalized in the country.
In addition, the remoteness of many towns from Baku raises challenges regarding quality control in the absence of regional or local pro bono centers.
At a glance
| Minimum pro bono hours requirement for lawyers? | Specific pro bono licence required? | May foreign lawyers practice pro bono? | Insurance required for law firm pro bono? | Insurance required for in-house counsel pro bono? | Rules to limit advertising pro bono work? | Does pro bono work count to CLE credit? | Limitations for in-house lawyers to do pro bono? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Pro bono practice and opportunities
The legal profession in Azerbaijan is regulated by the Law on Advocates and Advocacy Activity. This law outlines the rights and responsibilities of advocates, including the provision of legal aid.
To provide pro bono legal services in Azerbaijan generally requires the same qualifications and licenses as providing any other legal service. This means that individuals must be members of the Bar Association of Azerbaijan to offer legal representation, whether paid or pro bono.
To provide any legal services, including pro bono legal work, an individual must hold an advocate license issued by the Bar Association of Azerbaijan. This ensures that the person is qualified to practice law in the country. For any legal aid other than representation in court and before the prosecutor bodies, no license, admission or the like is required.
Regulatory landscape for pro bono
The Law on Advocates and Advocacy Activity [2] regulates the legal profession in Azerbaijan, including the roles and responsibilities of advocates. It outlines the framework within which legal services, including pro bono legal services, are provided.
The government provides state-guaranteed legal aid to ensure access to justice for those who cannot afford legal services. This system may include provisions for pro bono legal work by advocates as part of their professional duties.No incentives are provided by the state, any association or the Bar Association in respect of pro bono legal advice.
Lawyers do not need a license to provide pro bono legal services (beyond the usual local qualifications to practice law).
Foreign qualified lawyers may not engage in legal representation in Azerbaijan.
Lawyers are not required by any rules to work a minimum number of pro bono hours.
Aspiring lawyers are not required to complete a minimum number of hours of pro bono legal services to become licensed lawyers.
There are no aspirational pro bono hours targets for lawyers set by the local bar association, regulatory body or other body.
Lawyers do not receive any “Continuing Legal Education” (CLE) or equivalent credit for pro bono hours worked. The concept of CLE does not exist in Azerbaijan.
Insurance and advertising
Lawyers do not need professional indemnity legal insurance cover for pro bono legal services they provide. However, under Article 16.2 of the Law on Advocacy, Azerbaijani law requires that each lawyer creates a coverage bank account and credit 2% of their monthly income into such account. The funds from such account are used to satisfy the claims of clients relating to damages suffered in connection with the provision of legal services (including pro bono legal services).
There are no rules that limit or prohibit advertising of pro bono successes or soliciting new pro bono clients.
Pro bono practice and culture
In accordance with Article 67-1 of the Civil Procedure Code, any person who is unable, due to their financial position, to hire a lawyer at their own expense is entitled to legal assistance free of charge (whether by the provision of pro bono legal services or the grant of legal aid). Pro bono services can be offered in every area of law including criminal, administrative and civil. However, pro bono legal services are usually provided to selected low-income segments of the population. There is also evidence that law firms offer pro bono services to people with disabilities and families of veterans [3] and structuring advice to nonprofits, as well as property, immigration, employment advice, and small business support. [4]
In accordance with Article 193.2 of the Criminal Procedure Code, any person who is unable, due to their financial position, to hire a lawyer at their own expense is granted legal aid by the state, so in practice pro bono legal services are not usually offered in connection with criminal law matters.
The main providers of pro bono legal services in Azerbaijan are the Bar Association [5] and universities, such as the Baku State University faculty of law.[6]
There is also the Legal Clinic on Work with Vulnerable Groups supported by the Agency for State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations of the Republic, the Bar Association, and the European Lawyer Students Association.[7]
Otherwise, pro bono legal services are broadly provided by some law firms [8] and independent lawyers on a voluntary basis.
There are no current noteworthy examples of innovative technology or artificial intelligence being used to enable access to pro bono or otherwise as part of pro bono cases or matters in Azerbaijan. However, Azerbaijan’s Bar Association is launching a Pro Bono AI chatbot to provide free legal assistance and is finalizing an Electronic Lawyer Request project, with draft regulations developed alongside the Ministry of Justice now awaiting approval.[9]
Sources of pro bono opportunities and key contacts
Some of the key pro bono sources are NGOs, and state-owned institutions like The Institute of Justice where legal clinics have historically been made available to the public.[10]
The Legal Aid Center of the Bar Association provides and promotes pro bono matters and legal services.[11] The Bar Association periodically runs pro bono-style legal aid clinics and outreach events that offer free consultations on civil, administrative, social, family, and employment rights to vulnerable groups in both urban areas like Baku and regional locations such as Şamaxı.[12]
In addition, as mentioned above, we understand that graduates of the faculty of law of the Baku State University may provide pro bono legal services to certain low-income segments of the population.
A local lawyer may register with the Bar in order to be made aware of pro bono opportunities. There are also global pro bono clearinghouses and legal services providers such as TrustLaw or PILnet.[13]
There are no awards, lists or rankings in Azerbaijan related to pro bono work. There are global pro bono awards offered by TrustLaw, PILnet and the International Bar Association.[14]
References
- Article 20 of Law No 783-IQ, dated 28 December 1999, “On Advocates and Activities of Advocates” (“Law on Advocacy”) (http://www.e-qanun.az/framework/257) (last visited on Jan 22, 2025).
- See https://barassociation.az/uploads/attachments/law_of_the_republic_of_azerbaijan_on_lawyers_and_legal_practice.pdf (last visited on Jan 22, 2025).
- https://www.caspianlegalcenter.az/who-we-are/social-business?utm_source (last viewed on 6 March 2026).
- https://aziplawfirm.com/pro-bono-2/?utm_source and https://www.vlm-az.com/about?utm_source (last viewed on 6 March 2026).
- https://www.e-huquq.az/az/news/vekillik/104590.html?utm_source (Last viewed on 6 March 2026).
- https://sdg.bsu.edu.az/news/bsus-legal-clinic-expands-its-activities#:~:text=The%20Legal%20Clinic%20operating%20at,the%20development%20of%20civil%20society. (Last viewed on 6 March 2026).
- https://www.azernews.az/nation/228346.html (Last viewed on 6 March 2026).
- https://aziplawfirm.com/pro-bono-2/?utm_source and https://www.vlm-az.com/about?utm_source (last viewed on 6 March 2026).
- https://turkic.world/en/articles/other/222850?utm_source (Last viewed on 5 March 2026).
- https://pjp-eu.coe.int/az/web/eap-pcf/-/azerbaijan-supporting-the-legal-clinic-of-the-academy-of-justice-to-provide-pro-bono-legal-aid#:~:text=Since%20September%202018,%2031%20selected,by%20the%20Council%20of%20Europe. (Last viewed on 6 March 2026).
- https://barassociation.az/en/training_centre (Last viewed on 6 March 2026).
- https://www.e-huquq.az/az/news/vekillik/104590.html?utm_source (last viewed on 6 March 2026).
- See https://www.trust.org/trustlaw/ and https://www.pilnet.org/(Last viewed on 4 March 2026).
- https://www.trust.org/trustlaw/awards/the-2025-awards/, https://www.pilnet.org/event/pilnet-global-forum/awards/ and https://www.ibanet.org/Annual-IBA-Pro-Bono-Award. (Last viewed on 6 March 2026).
Acknowledgements
Name of law firm: BM Morrison Partners
Name of lawyer: Mustafa Salamov
Related resources
TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono
The Thomson Reuters Foundation’s global benchmark report mapping the scale and trends of the pro bono legal sector around the world.
Measuring Pro Bono Impact Guide
A 5-step framework to support legal teams in measuring the impact of their pro bono programmes more effectively, produced by the Thomson Reuters Foundation
Pro Bono Institute Challenge Reports
Providing valuable insights into the pro bono landscape by benchmarking pro bono performance at law firms and in-house legal departments.
Explore the Guide's headline findings
The Guide offers insight and analysis into the global pro bono landscape, beyond the deep-dive country chapters.
