How and Why is Pro Bono Flourishing? A Comparison of Recent Developments in Sweden and China.

Abstract

The pro bono activity of the private legal profession in a given society can best be understood as part of a partnership between the profession and government. The purpose of that partnership is for the profession, together with government, to take responsibility to try to ensure that, in theory, all citizens are equal before the law. The precise nature of that partnership varies widely between societies. Regan examines recent pro bono developments in Sweden and China. In the former country pro bono work by the profession had, until recently, disappeared but recent restrictions upon legal aid prompted the profession to re-establish a basic scheme. In China the recently established national legal aid scheme relies heavily upon the pro bono efforts of the emerging private profession.