State Secretary Struycken: “Together with the Legal Desk and social counselors, the legal and law shops form the easy access to justice for the most vulnerable in our society. In addition to helping those seeking justice with their valuable work, legal and law shops are also the breeding ground for the social lawyers of the future. With this extra money, legal and law shops can help more people, professionalize their organizations, and allow more students to come into contact with the wonderful profession of social lawyer.”
Legal and Law Shops
The Netherlands has approximately 115 legal and law shops, where anyone can turn to for free legal assistance. Legal and law shops offer consultations, information, legal advice, and support at physical locations. Their services can also include assisting those seeking justice in procedures, helping with letter writing, or filling out forms. Thus, legal and law shops supplement other primary legal aid provisions such as the Legal Desk and social counselors. The work in legal and law shops is mainly done by students and volunteers, who are supported in professionalizing their services by the Dutch Association of Legal Shops (NVR).
Change of Existing Regulation
There was already a subsidy for legal and law shops, but this subsidy had not been indexed since 2009 and not all legal and law shops were eligible for this subsidy. As a result, only 33 legal and law shops could use the subsidy. The regulation for this subsidy has been changed so that all approximately 115 legal and law shops in the Netherlands are eligible. Legal and law shops must meet conditions regarding accessibility, quality, and the organization of services to qualify for the subsidy. They must also be members of the Dutch Association of Legal and Law Shops or a similar industry organization.
Legal and law shops that assist more than 100 seekers of justice per year are eligible for additional subsidies. There are a number of additional conditions for this. For instance, these legal and law shops must have an active relationship with education and local social-legal networks, undertake activities in the field of information and prevention, stimulate the recruitment of social lawyers, and signal any shortcomings in legal protection.
The adjusted subsidy regulation was developed in collaboration with the Legal Aid Board, which is also responsible for its implementation. In addition, the Dutch Association of Legal Shops and the Legal Desk were consulted. The Legal Aid Board has also asked a number of legal and law shops, differing in size, location, and type, to respond to the concept.