New legal aid centre opens in Bz. City
The office may be modest, but the Legal Advice and Services Centre will be providing much needed services to hundreds of low income Belizeans, who are unable to receive proper representation in the courtroom. Today, ceremonies were held to officially open the L.A.S.C. in Belize City. Speaking to the gathering, Attorney General Godfrey Smith said the centre was long overdue and that the public will be able to access a wide range of services. Smith says for too long, persons who are economically disadvantaged, have been left standing alone in the courtroom without a proper defence.
Godfrey Smith, Attorney General
“There is a need for access to advice and legal services for persons who can’t afford to pay a lawyer to get it. In the same way that there is a hospital, there are clinics, the Matron Roberts Health Clinic and various other clinics throughout Belize, for those persons who can’t afford to go to the private clinic. This is not as well developed in terms of public delivery of legal advice and services, as it is for health say, but we believe it is a good beginning. And we hope be able to expand on it down the road in some of the other towns and districts of Belize.”
“The idea behind this is that from this headquarters private lawyers from the Bar Association will be contacted on a voluntary basis to provide both sitting advice here for walk-in clients, but as well as a wide range of services, whether it be the preparation of wills, drafting of contracts, appearing in court on behalf of clients, to litigate, to argue a matter. So the categories aren’t really closed, it’s wide open, but of course depending on the willingness and availability of lawyers and whether they are competent in a particular field.”
Attorney Merlene Moody, who has twenty years experience in the field, will be on staff at the Centre. L.A.S.C., is a non-profit entity funded through client fees and donations from the government, the Bar Association, corporations, and individuals. The Legal Advice and Services Centre is located at twenty-five Gabourel Lane.
