Criteria for providing free legal assistance: international legal aspects

Abstract

The essence of free legal aid consists of a public relations system that results from the appeal of some persons by law to the body empowered to officials to receive free qualified legal aid. Important elements of the concept of “free legal aid” are the basis and procedure for granting it, which in turn leads to the need to determine in law the persons entitled to free legal aid. In the Republic of Moldova, a large number of people from year to year receive free legal assistance, paid by the state. At the same time, the right to free legal aid is not absolute, and the possibility of obtaining such aid is an additional guarantee of access to justice for socially vulnerable people. In this article, the author examines the international criteria for granting state-guaranteed legal aid in order to find a balance between the principle of the availability of free legal aid and the effectiveness of the use of public funds allocated to it.