The Thomson Reuters Foundation has launched a free online service that aims to connect non-profit groups and social entrepreneurs in need of legal assistance to lawyers who are willing to work without charge.
TrustLaw, as the service is called, aims at giving access to pro bono legal support around the world and act as an international hub for news, views and resources on anti-corruption and good governance issues.
Anti-corruption campaigners and lawyers said they believed the service would help boost transparency, empower those in need and enable lawyers to put their skills to use for a social purpose.
"At a time of great economic uncertainty, legal support is more important than ever for organisations addressing the critical social and environmental issues of our age," Monique Villa, CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charity arm of the global news network Thomson Reuters, said in a statement.
TrustLaw is the latest project launched by the foundation, which also runs humanitarian news website AlertNet and journalism training programmes around the world. The foundation's journalists will contribute articles to the new website.
Villa said TrustLaw, the first truly international service of its kind, had seen a "dramatic response" from non-profit and legal organisations globally. More than 60 leading law firms, 80 non-governmental organisations and many social entrepreneurs have signed up to the service.
TrustLaw combines news on corruption, good governance and pro bono activities with a database of national legislation, international conventions, country profiles and law reviews. The same model will later be used for other areas including women's rights.
"The free flow of information helps empower people to hold their governments and the private sector accountable," Nancy Boswell, president and CEO of Transparency International USA, the global civil society organisation, said in a statement.
Lawyers wishing to do pro bono work and NGOs or social entrepreneurs seeking legal assistance will be able to connect to each other via an online marketplace called TrustLaw Connect. Participants on all sides will be vetted by TrustLaw staff to ensure confidence in the system.
TrustLaw Connect already has 190 organisations working in 140 countries as members, bringing together NGOs, law firms and many of the world's leading organisations supporting innovative social entrepreneurs globally, such as the Skoll Foundation and the Schwab Foundation.
Stuart Popham, senior partner worldwide at Clifford Chance, said TrustLaw was a "great concept" which would help lawyers fulfil their social responsibilities.
"It will reach those around the world most in need, even those who are furthest from the protection of the law," he said in a statement.
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