Pro Bono Practice and Opportunities in Luxembourg

The profession of lawyer (avocat) is regulated in Luxembourg by the law of August 10, 1991, as amended from time to time.^[2] This law determines how the profession is organized and how it can be accessed, the lawyers’ rights and duties and the disciplinary proceedings to which they can be subjected.

Lawyers can practice on an individual basis or as independent contractors to or employees of a law firm. In order to practice in Luxembourg, lawyers must be registered with a bar association established in Luxembourg.

Lawyers registered with the Bar Association of Luxembourg must also abide by the Internal Regulation of the Bar Association of Luxembourg as adopted on January 9, 2013, as amended.^[3] Lawyers belonging to the Bar Association of Diekirch must also abide by the Internal Regulation of the Bar Association of Diekirch of April 22, 2005.^[4] These regulations establish the general principles regarding lawyers’ activities, including lawyers’ fees, legal aid and judicial traineeship.

Lawyers are also bound by professional secrecy, which is a matter of public policy and violation of which is a criminal offence.

Direct qualification in Luxembourg: Upon completion of the complementary courses on Luxembourgish Law during a six month period and following receipt of the Certificate of Complementary Training on Luxembourgish Law, and (ii) proof of proficiency in French, German and Luxembourgish, students are admitted to one of the two National Bars, namely the Diekirch Bar and the Luxembourgish Bar, and become List II attorneys. Such status enables the attorneys to practice as a List I attorneys except for certain acts. List II attorneys must then complete a judicial traineeship of a minimum of two years during which they are supervised by a List I attorney, practicing for more than 5 years in Luxembourg, and as part of which mandatory courses need to be completed and attested by knowledge assessment exams. To finally become a List I attorney, List II attorneys must pass the Final Traineeship exam.

In-house counsel: No specific license is required to become an in-house counsel in Luxembourg. Corporate firms usually look for students who have (i) a University of Luxembourg law master’s degree and (ii) completed the Complementary Courses on Luxembourgish Law, even if such requirements are not legally mandatory.

There are no specific rules in Luxembourg that regulate the provision of pro bono legal services.

With respect to state-provided legal aid, each of the Luxembourgish National Bars can decide whether or not to grant legal aid. The National Bars and the judges can assign legal aid matters to ^[5]. Nevertheless, lawyers are only exceptionally appointed ex officio and they can decline such requests for legitimate reasons.

The government bears the costs of providing such legal aid. For instance, the Bar Association may require lawyers practicing in Luxembourg to ^[6] anyone who cannot afford a lawyer. List II attorneys may be required to provide free legal advice at the Legal Advice Service (Service d’accueil et d’information juridique), where people can receive general legal advice regarding their rights and how to enforce them. List II attorneys may be also required to provide legal advice and consultation in police stations and the Judicial Investigations Department (cabinet d’instru tion) which investigates crimes, interrogates witnesses and suspects, and may decide upon the provisional detention of suspects, in the Luxembourgish courts. Lawyers may decline such requests for legitimate reasons.

Lawyers practicing in Luxembourg do not require a license (beyond the usual qualification to practice law in Luxembourg) to provide pro bono legal services.

If they have been admitted to one of the Luxembourgish National Bars pursuant to the applicable directive, foreign-qualified lawyers do not require any additional licence or registration in order to provide pro bono legal services.

Pursuant to Article 3 of the law of August 10,1991,^[8] it is not prohibited to share legal information and documentation; however, foreign-qualified lawyers who have not been admitted to one of the Luxembourgish Bars, are prohibited from providing advice as to the laws of Luxembourg and must inform potential recipients of legal advice of the jurisdiction in which they are qualified to practice law.

In-house lawyers are allowed to provide pro bono legal advice provided that it is linked to the activities of their employer.

In Luxembourg, participation in pro bono initiatives is carried out on a voluntary basis and is not a mandatory requirement for lawyers and therefore there is no minimum number of pro bono hours required; this is unlike legal aid matters that cannot be refused by designated lawyers without legitimate reason.

Aspiring lawyers in Luxembourg are not required to complete a minimum number of hours of pro bono legal services in order to become licensed lawyers.

There are no aspirational pro bono hours targets for lawyers set by the local bar association or other regulatory bodies.

Law firms may decide to establish internal rules regarding the pro bono hours targets, but such information is not publicly available.

There is no equivalent credit for pro bono hours worked.

Pro bono work undertaken by lawyers at law firms as part of such law firm’s pro bono policy should generally be covered under the professional indemnity insurance (“PII”) of that law firm.

In-house lawyers who are employed by a company should be covered by their employer’s insurance when they provide pro bono legal services on behalf of their company.

When lawyers are not giving pro bono legal advice as employees, but only in their capacity as volunteers, they can apply to their private life civil liability insurer which, in general, does not exclude such activities. However, it is highly recommended to conclude a special insurance to cover any damages that they may cause to a third party, even though claims resulting from pro bono legal advice rarely occur.

There are strict rules regulating advertising for lawyers practicing in Luxembourg and these also apply to pro bono legal services. Title 6 of the Internal Regulation of the Bar Association of Luxembourg ^[9] prohibits canvassing and states that advertisements may not identify the clients represented, or the matters being handled, by the lawyer or the law firm, unless they have obtained prior informed consent from the clients in order to do so.

The main areas of law which present opportunities for the provision of pro bono legal services in Luxembourg include family, employment, small business advice, immigration advice and welfare rights.

The main providers of pro bono legal services in Luxembourg are:

NGOs ^[10], such as

• the Support Association for Immigrant Workers (Association de Soutien aux Travailleurs Immigrés) ^[11],
• Caritas Luxembourg ^[12],
• the Red Cross Luxembourg ^[13] ,
• Solidarity Action for the Third World (Action Solidarité Tiers Monde)^[14] ,
• Indian and Nepali Children’s Aid (Aide à l’Enfance de l’Inde et du Nepal)^[15] ,
• Friendship Luxembourg or Men’s Earth Luxembourg (Terre des Hommes Luxembourg) ^[16];
• the Law Clinic at the University of Luxembourg ^[17] (for more details, please refer below); and

a few law firms.^[18]

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.

There are no specific governmental resources dedicated to pro bono legal services in Luxembourg.

The Bar Association of Luxembourg manages the legal aid system as it is the entity that decides whether or not to grant legal aid and, together with the judges, can assign legal aid matters to lawyers. The government bears the costs of providing legal aid (assistance judiciaire) to persons selected by the Bar Association who cannot afford to pay the costs of their defense for instance.^[19] Considering this substantial involvement in the State-run legal aid system, the Bar Association has not developed any specific pro bono program.

Some law firms, both international and domestic, are involved with a wide range of pro bono projects, helping individuals and community groups across Luxembourg, Luxembourgish NGOs, or other public interest organizations.

The Support Association for Immigrant Workers (Association de Soutien aux Travailleurs Immigrés) is an NGO established in Luxembourg which provides free consultation to refugees ^[20] and administrative assistance on immigration matters (how to settle down in Luxembourg, to find accommodation, to apply for a green card, to get a visa to visit Luxembourg, to reunite family members living abroad, to change nationality, etc.). It also prepares asylum seekers for the labor market in Luxemburg, by teaching them how to prepare a CV, training them for a job interview and helping them with their professional project. In addition, it publishes guidelines in this respect in many languages.

Caritas Luxembourg is an NGO established in Luxembourg which provides support for asylum seekers, including housing, legal advice, integration support and translation.^[21]

The Red Cross Luxembourg is an NGO established in Luxembourg and works in partnership with the Social Offices of Luxembourg to provide assistance to people in need, generally unemployed people, indebted people, or people going through a divorce or the death of their spouse. The assistance provided can take various forms, helping people through administrative procedures, providing financial management, or even psychological support.^[22]

Solidarity Action for the Third World (Action Solidarité Tiers Monde)^[23] , Indian and Nepali Children’s Aid (Aide à l’Enfance de l’Inde et du Nepal)^[24], Friendship Luxembourg or Men’s Earth Luxembourg (Terre des Hommes Luxembourg)^[25] are also NGOs established in Luxembourg, which are involved in international actions in various fields including asylum, health, and poverty.

The Law Clinic at the University of Luxembourg is the only existing legal clinic. The clinic is comprised of Master 2 Students in Law, practicing lawyers and academic staff offering free assistance to members of the public (who are not eligible for legal aid or who cannot afford to pay for any legal services) on consumer rights disputes.^[26]

In 2025, the Pro Bono Luxembourg Association was launched. The Association is a non-profit dedicated to promoting and developing pro bono practice in Luxembourg with strict political, ideological, and religious neutrality. It will channel free legal expertise from Luxembourg Bar members to non-profits and institutions advancing social protection, equality, and human and children’s rights, and will raise awareness of pro bono in Luxembourg.^[27]

There is a website “Portail du bénévolat”^[28] in Luxembourg which explains how to create and manage an association, gives legal advice on how to become a volunteer and provides a list of existing associations. ^[29] The website can be used as a source for opportunities in respect of pro bono legal services.

The government of Luxembourg has also published a list of NGOs ^[30] in order to promote pro bono opportunities.

Any lawyer interested in pro bono activities can get in touch with an NGO and indicate that they want to contribute and apply for membership.

There are no awards, lists or rankings in Luxembourg related to pro bono work.

However, the Bar Association of Luxembourg supports such initiatives and, in 2023 and as member of the Conférence Internationale Des Barreaux, being a structure for cooperation between bars in countries with a common legal tradition, mainly French-speaking bars, published ^[31] a call for applications for the first edition of the French prize Trophées du Pro-Bono.

Certain pro bono projects can also be publicised should law firms decide to advertise their involvement, provided that the duty of professional secrecy is respected.