LAGOS INAUGURATES PUBLIC INTEREST LAW PARTNERSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES Lagos State Government has inaugurated the Board of Trustees of the Lagos Public Interest Law Partnership (LPILP) to oversee the management of the LPILP Trust Fund as part of its efforts to reinforce the present administration’s commitment to build strong and dependable institutions managed by people with character, experience and integrity. Lagos State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Rahman Ade Ipaye, in his remarks at the event, said the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, had provided the seed fund for the establishment of the Pro Bono Trust Fund during the first Annual Lagos State Pro Bono Week, which took place in April 2014, for the constitution of the Board. The Commissioner explained that the Board is to review and recommend funding for qualifying pro bono projects; provide funds for the training and retraining of the LPILP staff; assist pro bono lawyers as may be necessary to secure the attendance of witnesses; offset exceptional and unexpected costs of litigation; to assist vulnerable applicants; to implement support strategies to increase the capacity of lawyers, volunteers and students, and to assist members of the community seeking pro bono services. Other responsibilities of the Board include; to support lawyers and trainees engaged in pro bono work; make pro bono legal services more accessible to the public by raising awareness of social justice issues and participating in the development of socio-legal policies, laws and legal practices for the benefit of disadvantaged people, among others. The Chairperson of the Board, Senator Daisy Danjuma, Vice Chairman of South Atlantic Petroleum [SAPETRO], speaking on behalf of other members, thanked the State Government for giving them the opportunity to serve the people of the State. She said, with the LPILP, the State Government is building a functional platform that aims to ensure that justice and access to justice are within the reach of every resident of the State irrespective of his/her geographical location and financial means. Senator Danjuma added that with the vast and widespread network of law firms across the State, there is no doubt that every citizen is bound to benefit from such a partnership. On her own part, the LPILP Coordinator, Mrs. Funmi Owuye, stated that since the launching of the scheme, the LPILP has attracted over 100 partner firms and NGOs and have transferred a total of 145 cases to them, 64 of which are civil and 81 criminal matters. She added that through the assigned cases, the LPILP has been able to provide over 484 indigent persons with legal representation by private legal practitioners, free of charge. Other members of the Board are Mr. Ade Ipaye (Lagos Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice); Professor Konyinsola Ajayi (Managing Partner, Olaniwun Ajayi); Mrs. Toun Adebiyi (Deputy Director General, Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus); Mr. Alex Muoka (Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos Branch); Mr. Adetola Kazeem (Director, Prisoners’ Rights Advocacy Initiative) and Miss. Funmilayo Owuye, the LPIPL Coordinator, who is to serve as the Executive Secretary of the Board.
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 16:18:54 +0000
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