Overview
Tunisia has an institutional legal aid system called aide juridictionnelle, which allows eligible individuals to apply for free legal representation through Bureaux d’Aide Juridictionnelle (BAJ). Legal aid aims to promote equitable access to justice for all citizens, particularly those in financially vulnerable situations.[1]
Pro bono legal services, however, are currently delivered without a comprehensive legal framework. There is no specific legislation or regulatory provision that explicitly governs pro bono legal assistance. Although not widespread, a few private law firms do have established pro bono practices, and local and international NGOs also offer free legal services.
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 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Pro bono practice and opportunities
The Republic of Tunisia has established a comprehensive legal framework regulating the provision of legal services by attorneys. Decree-Law No. 2011-79 on the Organization of the Legal Profession [2] sets out provisions on the licensing, admission, and regulation of lawyers, as well as the conditions for practising law and the professional duties and ethical obligations of lawyers. Law No. 98-65 on Professional Law Firms regulates the formation, operation, and management of law firms as professional entities, allowing lawyers to practise collectively within a formal structure.
Under this framework, lawyers practising individually and lawyers practising within a professional law firm are subject to the same licensing requirements. All lawyers in Tunisia must hold the Certificate of Aptitude for the LegalProfession issued by the Higher Institute of the Legal Profession. This requirement is waived for those with a PhD in law or legal sciences, or an equivalent foreign degree, and the academic rank of professor or associate professor in law.
Regulatory landscape for pro bono
The Republic of Tunisia does not have a specific legislative framework that expressly governs the provision of pro bono legal services.
However, the Internal Regulation of the National Bar Association of Tunisia prohibits lawyers from setting excessively low fees with the intention of undercutting their colleagues and attracting clients. Such low fees are considered anti-competitive practice and may lead to disciplinary action.
However, this prohibition is unlikely to actually apply to pro bono legal services and is not enforced in practice in relation to pro bono legal services. In addition, lawyers are prohibited from using unlawful means, such as offering incentives, employing intermediaries for a fee or without one, or suggesting any real or alleged influence or connection with any entity in order to attract clients or win cases.
Such practices risk being qualified as “advertisement” by the National Bar Association, which is prohibited under its Internal Regulation, and lead to disciplinary action. An in-house lawyer employed by a company or organisation is typically considered a jurist (a jurist), not an avocat (a lawyer), as they are not members of the Tunisian Bar. Consequently, in-house lawyers (as jurists) cannot represent clients in court or engage in legal practice that is exclusive to lawyers (avocats), including providing pro bono legal services that involve client representation in legal proceedings.
However, jurists can still provide legal advice and legal consultancy services as long as they do not represent clients in court.
No, lawyers do not need a specific licence to provide pro bono legal services beyond the usual local qualification to practice law.
No, foreign-qualified lawyers do not need a specific licence to provide pro bono legal services beyond the usual local qualification to practise law (considering that foreign-qualified lawyers still need to be locally qualified to practise law)
According to Article 3 of the decree-law N.2011-79[3] , a lawyer cannot practise law in Tunisia unless they have been a Tunisian national for at least five years, save in the case of an international convention.
As such, if the aforementioned convention exists, foreign lawyers can practise law in Tunisia with no additional qualification to provide pro bono legal services.
Article 3 states that “While taking into account international conventions, only those who are registered on the roll of lawyers may practice law in Tunisia, whether permanently or temporarily.”At first glance, this reference to “international conventions” might suggest the existence of legal pathways for foreign lawyers to practice in Tunisia. However, in practice, this clause does not create an automatic or general right for foreign nationals to be admitted to the Tunisian Bar. As such, WTO membership or other similar international agreements do not provide a pathway for foreign nationals to practice Tunisian law or join the Tunisian Bar.
The sentence “international conventions” refers to specific bilateral agreements, like those with Morocco (1966) and Algeria (1959), which allow easier access for lawyers.The most relevant agreement is the Paris–Tunis Bar Protocol (2019), which allows lawyers registered with the Paris Bar to appear before Tunisian courts under certain conditions.[4]
No, lawyers are not required to work a minimum number of pro bono hours.
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 specific aspirational pro bono hours targets for lawyers set by the local bar association, regulatory body, or other body.
No, there are no CLE or equivalent credits for pro bono hours worked.
Insurance and advertising
All lawyers must subscribe to the Lawyers’ Insurance, though this is a social security benefit rather than a professional indemnity legal insurance. Such requirement is not limited to pro bono legal services.
The Lawyersʼ Insurance is organised by Decree N 2008-35, dated February 11, 2008, on the organisation and management of the Lawyersʼ Pension and Retirement Fund.[5]
Article 3 of the Decree N 2008-35 specifies that each lawyer is required to pay an annual contribution for social coverage, which is tied to the provident and retirement fund for lawyers. This contribution is a professional obligation for each lawyer.
It is also tied to receiving various benefits, such as health coverage, temporary disability benefits, and pensions.
The law does not specifically address the case where work is conducted under the cover of another pro bono provider.
In Tunisia, lawyers are not legally required to carry professional civil liability insurance (assurance responsabilité civile professionnelle) under current laws. While Article 83 of the Code of Obligations and Contracts[6] holds professionals accountable for damage caused by their fault or negligence, there is no explicit legal requirement for insurance coverage in either the general legal framework or the Decree regulating the legal profession.
Although insurance is not mandatory, lawyers remain personally liable for damages resulting from errors or negligence, such as missed deadlines or failure to file appeals.Most law firms in Tunisia provide professional liability insurance for their lawyers as part of the firmʼs overall risk management strategy. This is especially applicable to larger, well-established law firms. Insurance coverage typically applies to all lawyers working within the firm.Since the practice is neither well-established nor regulated in Tunisia, there is no specific requirement nor a practice in which law firms provide insurance coverage for lawyers offering such services.
The legal framework covering the practice of the legal profession in Tunisia does not provide for specific rules that limit or prohibit advertising of pro bono successes or soliciting new pro bono clients.
As a result, solicitation of clients on a pro bono basis may be at risk of being construed as “advertising” under the Internal Regulations of the National Bar Association, which strictly prohibits any form of advertising by legal professionals. This prohibition could expose attorneys that solicit clients to retain them on a pro bono basis to potential disciplinary action, as their actions may be interpreted as contravening professional conduct rules designed to preserve the dignity and independence of the legal profession.
Pro bono practice and culture
In practice, one of the main areas of law that presents opportunities for pro bono work is criminal law, with lawyers representing accused individuals from vulnerable communities.[7]
According to a 2023 study, the four most common categories of legal problems affecting Tunisians are related to neighbour relations, money disputes, issues around public services and employment problems. However, most of these legal problems never reach the formal justice system, and many people turn to family, friends and neighbours for help instead of lawyers.[8]
The main providers of pro bono legal services in Tunisia are local and international non-governmental organisations, such as Lawyers Without Borders [9] and Amnesty International [10], lawyers in private law firms on a case-by-case basis, state legal aid and university law clinics. The International Legal Foundation provides free legal assistance to indigent people, particularly in criminal justice contexts, and aims to strengthen the legal aid system collaboratively with local partners.[11]
A number of NGOs, such as the Arab Institute for Human Rights, offer legal counselling and advocacy, especially for refugees, asylum seekers, and vulnerable individuals.[12] SANAD offers a comprehensive assistance program that provides victims of torture and inhumane treatment with access to legal services, alongside psychological, social, and medical support, through its centers in Kef and Sfax.[13]
Law faculties in Tunisian universities run legal clinics or consultation sessions, where law students supervised by professors provide free or low‑cost legal advice to the public.[14]
At this time, there are no noteworthy examples of innovative technology or artificial intelligence being utilised to enable access to pro bono services or in connection with pro bono cases or matters in Tunisia.
In general, legal chatbots and platforms are emerging, for example, the Tunisian Legal AI Platform has been developed as a comprehensive, multilingual legal assistant designed specifically for Tunisia’s legal and administrative landscape.[15]
HiiL’s justice innovation programs in Tunisia, including Hack4Justice and the HiiL Justice Accelerator, focus on developing AI-related justice technology solutions, such as AI helpdesk chatbots, to reduce barriers to legal information and support legal innovation startups addressing legal and registration challenges.[16]
Sources of pro bono opportunities and key contacts
Lawyers can contact the abovementioned NGOS who may refer pro bono matters.
They can also contact the National Bar Association of Tunisia to ask for pro bono referrals and cases needing volunteers.[17]
There are also global pro bono clearinghouses and legal services providers such as TrustLaw, PILnet or A4ID.[18]
There are no such registers available.
At this time, there are no awards, lists, or rankings related to pro bono work in Tunisia.
References
- https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2025-08/etat_des_lieux_aide_legale_final.pdf?utm_ (last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://legislation-securite.tn/latest-laws/decret-loi-n-2011-79-du-20-aout-2011-portant-organisation-de-la-profession-davocat/?utm_ (Last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://legislation-securite.tn/latest-laws/decret-loi-n-2011-79-du-20-aout-2011-portant-organisation-de-la-profession-davocat/?utm_ (last viewed on 18 February 2026).
- https://cabinetavocat-bl.com/protocol-entre-le-barreau-de-paris-et-le-barreau-de-tunis/?utm_ (last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://legislation-securite.tn/latest-laws/decret-n2008-355-du-11-fevier-2008-relatif-a-lorganisation-et-au-fonctionnement-de-la-caisse-de-prevoyance-et-de-retraite-des-avocats/?utm_ (last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://www.juridicis.com/tunisie/codes/coc/menu-212.html?utm_ (Last viewed on 18 February 2026).
- https://www.ibj.org/2025/07/ibj-concludes-advancing-access-to-justice-project-in-tunisia/?utm_ (Last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://www.hiil.org/fr/projets/besoins-et-satisfaction-en-matiere-de-justice-en-tunisie/?utm_ (last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://www.developmentaid.org/organizations/view/462729/asf-avocats-sans-frontieres?utm_source (Last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/north-africa/tunisia/ (Last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://www.theilf.org/tunisia-disclosure?utm_source (Last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://rightsinexile.org/legal-assistance-by-country/tunisia-legal-assistance/?utm_ (Last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://omct-tunisie.org/assistance-directe/?utm_source (Last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://cliniques-juridiques.org/revue/volume-7-2023/la-mise-en-place-des-cliniques-juridiques-dans-les-facultes-tunisiennes-reflexions-contextuelles-et-retour-dexperience/?output=pdf&utm_source (Last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://devpost.com/software/tunisian-legal-ai-platform?utm_ (Last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://www.hiil.org/programmes/the-justice-accelerator/ (Last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://avocat.org.tn/ (Last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- See https://www.trust.org/trustlaw/, https://www.pilnet.org/ and https://a4id.org/ (Last viewed on 14 October 2025).
Acknowledgements
Name of Local Counsel: Ferchiou & Associés Law Firm
Name of Individual at Local Counsel: Omar Ferchiou
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.
