11 February 2008
First public juridical reception rooms open in Vitebsk oblast
The first public juridical reception rooms have been opened in the Vitebsk oblast, BelTA learnt from Valentina Rimkova, deputy head of the administrative department of the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee. In Vitebsk and Polotsk the reception rooms are now open at the premises of law faculties of the Vitebsk and Polotsk state universities. Low-income citizens can get free legal aid there twice a week from senior students and their teachers. Applicants are mainly interested in resolving labour, housing and family disputes. Valentina Rimkova underlined, the reception rooms are licensed for juridical education and do not substitute legal aid agencies. Juridical education is part of the people’s awareness campaign and often helps prevent petitions to higher ranking authorities. Within the next few days the student legal aid service will be opened in the Novopolotsk Legal Information Centre. Besides, there are plans to open a virtual public juridical reception room on the official website of the oblast executive committee.