Pro Bono Practice and Opportunities in Greece

In Greece, the legal profession is exercised by lawyers (in Greek “Δικηγόρος») who can also serve as legal advisers (in Greek «Νομικοί Σύμβουλοι»). Τhere is no distinction between barristers, solicitors and advocates.

The provision of legal services in Greece is subject to Law 4194/2013 (GG vol. A’ 208/27.09.2013) as amended and in force (hereinafter the “Lawyers Code”)^[2] which regulates Greek lawyers’ ethics, conduct, conflicts and prohibited activities/positions, practice licensing procedure, disciplinary law, fees and advancement in status.

At the same time, a Code of Ethics ^[3] exists for lawyers, regulating some aspects of the profession.

The Lawyers Code contains some provisions applying specifically to law firms ^[4] and in-house lawyers (art. 43 et seq.), however no substantial distinctions are thereby contemplated in the discussed regard.

As a general remark, it should be noted that the fees of Greek lawyers are generally regulated by art. 57 – 86 of the Lawyers Code and art 4 of the Code of Ethics.

In principle, the Lawyers Code requires Greek lawyers to receive a fee ^[5] for the provision of any legal services unless offered to:

• the spouse of the lawyer;
• a relative (by blood or marriage) up to the third degree; or
• a fellow lawyer, a trainee, a suspended lawyer or a retired lawyer, if it is a personal matter/case of the aforementioned persons.

The competent bodies of Bar Associations may also assign to attorneys pro bono legal work for defending the association’s interests or for representing /providing support to deprived persons.^[6] The Code of Ethics also contains an exception concerning indigent clients (article 4).

Greek lawyers do not require a license to provide pro bono legal services, the usual qualification to practice law suffices.

In principle, foreign-qualified lawyers do not need any additional license to provide pro bono services (beyond their foreign qualification to practice law). However, foreign lawyers must be entitled to practice in Greece.

Foreign lawyers who qualified in another member state of the EU may practice on a permanent basis in Greece (in a self-employed or a salaried capacity) under their home-country professional title, pursuant to Presidential Decree 152/2000 (in compliance with Directive 98/5/EC). This is subject to conditions, such as the foreign lawyer must register with the relevant Bar Association in Greece and maintain an officein their specific practice. Once registered with a Bar Association, the foreign lawyer becomes subject to the same obligations and assumes the same rights as Greek lawyers.

However, the foreign lawyer may only integrate fully into the Greek legal profession once they can evidence three (3) years of regular and actual, uninterrupted legal practice in Greece. During this period, foreign lawyers wishing to represent a client in court must be assisted by a lawyer entitled to appear before the court hearing that case.

Furthermore, acts or duties which Greek law considers to constitute an exercise of public authority may only be performed by lawyers of Greek nationality.

No, there is no mandatory (or aspirational) framework governing pro bono legal services.^[7]

No, aspiring lawyers are not required to complete a minimum number of hours of pro bono legal services to become licensed lawyers.

No, there are no aspirational pro bono hours targets for lawyers set by the local bar association, regulatory body or other body.

There are no Continuing Legal Education or education requirements for qualified lawyers in Greece.

There is no professional indemnity insurance scheme in Greece that can protect lawyers from professional civil liability, for actions held in the line of duty. Lawyers may enter into private insurance contracts voluntarily.^[8]

A civil law non-for-profit association under the (Greek) corporate name «Λογαριασμός Ενισχύσεως Δικηγόρων Επαρχιών» (ΛΕΔΕ) aiming at supporting lawyers working in the Greek Province as of the beginning of March 2019 has negotiated an insurance scheme for its members. The insurance is provided free of charge by a private insurance company.^[9]

In principle, there are general prohibitions and rules regulating the advertising of a lawyer. For instance, it is prohibited to advertise the lawyer in newspapers or other media mass information, or by letters, and all kinds of publications (Code of Ethics, art. 9).

As per the Lawyers Code (art. 40) it is allowed to promote the areas of professional activity of a lawyer or law firm, both within Greece and abroad, to the extent and in a manner consistent with the prestige and dignity of the legal profession.

For instance, promotion must not

• be unfair,
• be misleading or false,
• reference case numbers or success rates,
• compared to other lawyers or firms in terms of service quality or fees,
• name clients without consent and/or
• harm the public perception of the legal profession.

Conclusively, specific prohibitions as regards solicitation of new pro bono clients are not in place and the general framework /statutory limitations for pro bono work under the Lawyers’ Code shall apply.

Despite the above, the call for greater ESG awareness and accountability is resounding and any quests for affected groups in need of pro bono legal services at the level of organized structures /law firms as pro bono work plays a pivotal role for bolstering ESG credentials.

Α. Refugee Crisis

The widely-publicized European ‘refugee crisis’ saw the arrival of large migrant populations to countries throughout Europe over a relatively short period of time, mainly during 2015. Since 2015, the upsurge in asylum claims have not slowed down.

According to a report by The UN Refugee Agency, the refugees population as of mid-2024 is 214,574, where asylum-seekers population is 20,887.^[10] Asylum seekers’ fundamental legal needs remain largely unmet, thus the demand for asylum and immigration services is ever growing.

While Greece has a legal aid system, it is only for the appeal stage of the asylum process. This means there is no state-provided legal assistance to reach, inform, and advise asylum seekers before their first asylum interview, which often takes place at only a few days’ notice.^[11]

B. Labor Law

Increased demand on bro bono legal work has been evident in the field of employment as well, especially bearing in mind the financial crisis that affected a vast majority of the Greek population, leading, for instance, to wrongful dismissals and/or early terminations of employees who usually do not have the financial background to support litigation procedures as regards their legal matter.

C. Non-profit organizations

In Greece, several trustworthy non-profit civil partnerships focused on environmental, cultural, and social issues always present significant opportunities for pro bono work, in the sense that they always seek support and legal expertise to check their charitable activities.

The main providers of pro bono legal services in Greece appear to be a split of private practice law firms and NGOs.

Recently, university students in Greece have made efforts to promote this framework, albeit their access to resources remains limited, and the sector is still underdeveloped.^[12]

The Greek government does not appear to readily offer pro bono legal services.

To the best of our knowledge, although AI has been championed for its potential to enhance pro bono legal services there are no recent noteworthy examples of such tools used in local market (such as, for instance, designed to enable AI-generated advice to be made available to pro bono attorneys) which may be able to accommodate pro bono services.

However, AI and technology tools have the potential to greatly enhance legal pro bono work across Europe by utilizing the framework set by the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689). This regulation requires transparency, risk assessments, and human oversight for high-risk AI systems, while prohibiting certain “unacceptable risk” uses. AI and innovative legal technologies can make pro bono work more efficient by automating routine tasks like document drafting, intake, and legal research, allowing lawyers to concentrate on more complex client needs.

Furthermore, these technologies could increase access to justice by providing scalable, low-cost tools such as multilingual chatbots and rights checkers, which could help empower vulnerable groups to understand and assert their legal rights.

In Greece, in a joint initiative to modernize the judiciary, the Ministries of Justice and Digital Governance announced plans to develop AI tools to enhance court efficiency, expedite proceedings, and reduce operational costs.^[13]

Apart from AI, legal tech platforms like BRYTER have been used with NGOs such as European Lawyers in Lesvos (ELIL) to organize data and streamline asylum processes for refugees, relying on automation to expand access where legal aid was scarce.^[14]

A. Governmental sources

There do not appear to be any main governmental sources of pro bono in Greece.

B. Private practice law firms

Some Greek law firms freely offer pro bono legal services and undertake to provide pro bono legal services to charitable organizations and non-profit institutions (advising, in particular, on the formation, ongoing governance and compliance requirements of such organizations), as well as individuals, foundations and start-up companies created by young entrepreneurs.^[15]

C. Non-governmental organizations

The only cases of pro bono court representation are those provided by certain human rights NGOs in cases concerning migrants, refugees and certain vulnerable groups of people.

The following are examples of foundations or programs that are active in providing such pro bono legal services:

1. The NGO “Metadrasi” which provides specialized legal services to applicants for international protection entering from the eastern Aegean islands of Chios, Samos and Leros, especially in cases of persons belonging to vulnerable groups and persons with increased international protection needs.^[16]
2. the NGO “Equal Rights Beyond Borders” which defends human rights and legally supports people in need.^[17]
3. The NGO “Amnesty International,” which also operates in Greece, is a global movement dedicated to the protection of human rights. It exerts pressure on governmental authorities, often employing legal expertise to advocate for the enforcement and protection of human rights standards.
4. The HOME Project – It is a nonprofit organization which supports unaccompanied refugee minors which arrive in Greece alone, having been separated from their families upon leaving their home country. The HOME Project, as part of the holistic child protection services it offers to children at its care, provides legal support for all children in their shelters. The relevant legal team supports the whole spectrum of the complex and lengthy asylum application process as well as family reunification procedures, where possible.^[18]
5. the NGO “European Lawyers in Lesvos” (ELIL), through an innovative pro bono partnership with international law firms (including Allen & Overy, Ashurst, Charles Russell Speechlys, Dentons, Orrick and White & Case), provided legal assistance both in person and remotely to asylum seekers residing in camps in the Greek Islands of Lesvos and Samos.
6. The Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights (“MFHR”) – established in 1978 the MFHR offers free legal services to people (without any discrimination as to race, religion, sex, language, nationality or social origin) whose fundamental human rights and freedoms have been infringed and who are unable to pay for legal counsel.^[19]
7. AITIMA NGO (“AITIMA”) – AITIMA was founded in 2008 with the aim of defending human rights and protecting the environment. The organisation achieves these aims by providing free legal advice and consultation to vulnerable groups (including refugees, minorities and newly arrived communities), delivering training, providing education, leading cultural events and conferences, conducting research and appealing to the judiciary system.
8. The Greek Council for Refugees (“GCR”)^[20] – founded in 1989, GCR was created to support refugees and asylum seekers in Greece and assist with their integration with a range of social, psychosocial and legal services. GCR also works to support and protect the rights of asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable members of Greek society and, in collaboration with a range of partners—from ministries and local government to international organizations—GCR offers legal support and representation services.^[21]
9. HIAS Greece ^[22] – established in the USA in 2016 to provide legal representation to refugees arriving on the Island of Lesvos, HIAS Greece has since partnered with Islamic Relief USA to provide improved legal services to refugees in Greece throughout 2018 through the Greece Refugee Rights Initiative. From its new office in Athens, HIAS Greece is now able to follow up on cases, pursue strategic litigation, engage in advocacy on behalf of refugees and provide free legal assistance for asylum and reunification proceedings from a local Greek base. HIAS Greece in a branch of HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society founded in 1881.
10. RLS-Athens (“RLS”) ^[23] – set up in 2017 by UK asylum and immigration lawyers, RLS runs a law clinic out of the Athens Solidarity Centre to provide free legal support and assistance in relation to asylum and reunification issues. RLS relies on the voluntary services of EU asylum lawyers who rotate their time in Athens. Other RLS activities include supporting and evidencing asylum claims, running advice and information sessions, outreach, contributing to strategic litigation, providing legal education and capacity building within the Greek asylum law community, and training community interpreters.^[24]
11. Lawyers Against Poverty (“LAP”)^[25] – established in 2015, LAP is an Oxfam initiative which aims to inspire lawyers to play a part in global justice, facilitate the establishment of legal projects that support access to justice, facilitate access to legal education, raise awareness of poverty and work to relieve poverty.
12. Advocates Abroad (“AA”) ^[26] – set up in early 2016 to provide refugees in Greece with information about their rights, AA relies on the work of volunteer lawyers and field teams to run legal clinics in camps and shelters. The clinics are designed to prepare refugees and asylum seekers for asylum interviews, and assist with family reunification applications and appeals. AA also runs information sessions, and their Greek qualified lawyer-volunteers also provide court representation for asylum related claims.

Lawyers can contact the abovementioned NGOs to check for opportunities.There are also global pro bono clearinghouses such as TrustLaw, PILnet or A4ID that occasionally offer pro bono opportunities in Greece.^[27]

No major awards, lists or rankings refer to pro bono work. A distinctive example in Greece are the Business Law Awards, which include a category for “ESG & Pro Bono Initiative of the Year,” which recognizes outstanding efforts in accommodating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles and/or pro bono legal work.^[28]