The project created for asylum seekers to receive legal aid at the Legal Aid Clinic has been continuing for the third year in a row. In the pilot project of 2010, the lack of regularly available legal aid to asylum seekers, the analysis of the legal framework and the actual needs of asylum seekers made the idea of establishing a Legal Aid Clinic into reality, where lawyers, solicitors, law students and interns can provide legal advice.
Therefore, the main goal of the project is to provide a fast and efficient asylum procedure and especially the expertise of specialists who could also represent asylum seekers in court.
The Estonian Human Rights Centre (HRC) continues to provide legal aid to asylum seekers also during the course of the project in 2013, to ensure access to a fair and appropriate procedure. Legal aid is provided to those who are applying for the first time and also the ones who have received a negative ruling and would like to appeal. Primary legal aid is provided by law students from Tallinn University of Technology and lawyers will represent asylum seekers in court. If necessary, asylum seekers will be aided with applying for state legal assistance.