LEGAL ASSISTANCE

One of the organization's key areas of activity is providing legal aid, protecting human rights, legal education, and strengthening "everyday justice" to address legal problems in people's lives. This work acknowledges that only a small fraction of legal issues reach the courts. The goal of this direction is to develop a people-centered justice system that recognizes multiple pathways to justice, emphasizes timely intervention and preventive services, and informs the public about alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation.

Since 2014, ORC has been working on building an effective and sustainable legal aid system for community residents. The aim is not just to create a nominal service but to provide a real, functional tool for strengthening legal protection. Free legal aid is a crucial element of an integrated justice policy that also includes preventive measures, legal education, and public access to legal information. Key initiatives include assessing the legal needs of communities in the Horodok, Zhovkva, and Sokal districts, as well as developing and disseminating methodological guidelines for establishing municipal legal aid institutions.

Community Legal Needs Assessments and Legal Awareness Campaigns

• 2015: ORC signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Lviv Local Center for Free Secondary Legal Aid (hereafter – the Center). As part of this collaboration, ORC participated in eight legal awareness campaigns in settlements such as Kulykiv, Maheriv, Zhovkva, Horodok, Yavoriv, Peremyshliany, Sokal, and Chervonohrad. These campaigns involved distributing informational brochures, methodological recommendations, and legal guidance provided by the Center.
• 2017–2019: ORC and the Center jointly organized 17 events aimed at increasing legal awareness among citizens regarding their rights protection. Activities included:
  • Five training sessions for local government officials on organizing primary legal aid in Kulykiv, Maheriv, Obroshyne, Lypnyk, and Rava-Ruska.
  • Five legal literacy lessons in Lviv schools under the program "Your Rights – Your Reliable Protection."
  • Participation as experts and moderators in seven film discussions at the Docudays UA Human Rights Film Club at the Lviv Legal Aid Center, focusing on anti-bullying measures for high school students.

Establishment of the "Viribis Unitas" Legal Clinic

A major milestone for the organization was the establishment of the Viribis Unitas legal clinic, supported by the American Bar Association. Based at Lviv University of Business and Law, the clinic provides free legal aid. Key initiatives include:

• Seminars on Legal Aid in Communities: Under the campaign "Changing People – Changing the Country," workshops were organized for law students and community representatives.
• Outreach to Rural Areas: Through a project funded by the International Renaissance Foundation, the clinic extended its free legal services to rural populations in the mountainous regions of Lviv Oblast, focusing on human rights protection.
• Land Registration Assistance: A seminar was held in Mavkovychi village on "Procedures for Assigning a Cadastral Number to a Land Plot."

The Viribis Unitas legal clinic continues to provide free legal services both in-person at its office in Lviv (Antonovycha St. 70) and online via the university’s consultation platform.

Digital Legal Aid and Anti-Human Trafficking Awareness

• 2016: ORC led the implementation of an online legal consultation service under the project "Public Information Centers in Lviv, Vinnytsia, Zakarpattia, and Rivne Oblasts – Phase II." Recognized by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a successful cross-border initiative, the project established a network of Public Information Centers (PICs) within public libraries.
• 2017–2019: ORC launched an anti-human trafficking awareness campaign in Lviv and the region. Activities included:
  • Training sessions with lawyers, police officers, and NGO representatives at public libraries and educational institutions.
  • A traveling legal info-center project "STOP Trafficking in Persons," which, although submitted for funding to IREX, did not receive financial support.
  • A training session for librarians titled "Slavery Exists in the Third Millennium: Human Trafficking – Myth or Reality?"
  • A public screening and discussion of the social documentary "Truth PRO – Human Trafficking" (script by Yulia Prytolyuk, directed by Serhiy Sharayevskyi).