Pro Bono Practice and Opportunities in Russia

The provision of legal services is not comprehensively regulated in Russia. There is a dual system of lawyers providing legal services: state-licensed attorneys (advocates) and other lawyers. The only legal activity reserved for advocates is the representation of clients in criminal proceedings; all other types of work can be done by both advocates and non-advocates.

Advocates are subject to specific professional conduct rules and disciplinary procedures, whereas other legal professionals (including in-house counsel) are not subject to any similar rules and procedures.

Pro bono legal services are regulated by the Federal Law “On Free Legal Aid” (the Free Legal Aid Law). According to the Free Legal Aid Law, pro bono legal services can be provided by any person who has a legal degree from a Russian university, except for representation in criminal proceedings, which can only be provided by advocates. At the same time, the Free Legal Aid Law generally regulates only pro bono legal services provided by law school legal clinics and non-governmental centres of pro bono legal services, which can be established by advocates, notaries, law firms, bar chambers of advocates, and notaries. Pro bono legal services that are provided by private law firms or individual attorneys remain unregulated and thus are solely subject to arrangements with such law firms and individual attorneys.

Basic requirements for non-governmental centres of pro bono legal services are set out in the Free Legal Aid Law and include (i) existence of office facilities where legal services can be provided and (ii) provision of such services by individuals who have a legal degree from a Russian university.

The types of legal services that are provided by law schools’ legal clinics and non-governmental centres of pro bono legal services, as well as categories of individuals that can receive pro bono legal services, is determined by internal regulations of such organisations. The Free Legal Aid Law simply stipulates that pro bono legal services shall be preferably provided to vulnerable social groups. No minimum fees are imposed. There are also no differences for lawyers working as in-house counsel.

Any person who has a legal degree from a Russian university can provide legal services including pro bono legal services. However, representation of clients in criminal proceedings can only be provided by advocates.

Foreign lawyers in Russia do not require any additional licences to provide pro bono legal services, but foreign lawyers must also have a legal degree from a Russian university to provide pro bono legal services connected with the Russian law. Foreign lawyers may provide pro bono legal services on legal matters of their home jurisdiction without obtaining a degree from a Russian university.

Lawyers in Russia are not required to work a minimum number of pro bono hours.

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

No, there are no such targets.

Lawyers in Russia do not receive any CLE or equivalent credit for pro bono hours worked.

Lawyers in Russia do not require professional indemnity legal insurance cover for any pro bono legal services that they provide. There are no differences for lawyers working as in-house counsel.

There are no rules in Russia that prohibit advertising of pro bono successes or soliciting new pro bono clients.

The recipients of pro bono legal services in Russia are mainly socially vulnerable groups; therefore, providers of such services mainly specialise in economic, social, and cultural rights protection and government relations, which are the main areas of individuals’ legal needs. The economic conditions in Russia do not provide many opportunities to socially vulnerable group members to hire law firms or advocates; thus, individuals either protect their rights on their own or approach providers of pro bono legal services.

EU Council Regulation (EU) 2022/1904 and its subsequent amendments generally prohibit international law firms from advising Russian companies and the government in most areas of legal services and this also applies to pro bono legal services. These measures are part of the broader sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. However, there are limited exceptions, such as legal representation in judicial proceedings or services that ensure access to justice. The withdrawal of international law firms due to sanctions has potentially increased the unmet legal needs in Russia, particularly affecting NGOs, vulnerable communities, and individuals who previously relied on cross-border pro bono support.

There are no official statistics on who the main providers of pro bono legal services are in Russia. Generally, provision of pro bono legal service by private law firms and individual attorneys is less developed. Thus, in practice, the main providers of pro bono legal services are still law school legal clinics and non-governmental centres of pro bono legal services.

There are no such noteworthy examples.

• The Russian Ministry of Justice maintains a list of existing pro bono legal services providers in various regions of Russia: https://minjust.gov.ru/ru/pages/spisok-centrov-besplatnoj-yuridicheskoj-pomoshi/ (in Russian language; the link may not be available outside of Russia).
• “LegalCharity”, a platform that brings together reputable Russian law firms to provide pro bono services: https://legalcharity.ru/ (in Russian language; the link may not be available outside Russia).

There are no public or private organisations with which a local or foreign attorney can register in Russia in order to be made aware of pro bono opportunities.

There are no separate pro bono rankings in Russia. Occasionally, awards for pro bono work are granted for notable projects in the national legal rankings.

As part of the Pravo 300 (‘Law 300’) national ranking, there is a nomination for the best pro bono project of the year^[1].