JEDDAH — A number of public and private agencies have joined hands to provide legal assistance to the poor and needy to complete court proceedings in order to protect their legitimate rights. The legal assistance initiative has signed agreements with the National Committee for the Care of Prisoners, Released Prisoners and Their Families (Tarahum), Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) and a number of charitable societies for the landmark program. Following the signing of the deal, Majed Garoub, chairman of the initiative, said fees relinquished by lawyers would amount to SR3 billion for their services during the next five years. He said 1,000 young Shariah and law graduates would be recruited for the program at the rate of 100 graduates every year for a period of 10 years. Agreement will be reached with these graduates to provide 100 hours of free legal service to the needy plaintiffs in lieu of providing 200 hours of high-level training with HRDF support. "This is a non-profitable venture and we have been studying this program for the last three years," Garoub told Okaz/Saudi Gazette, adding that the program comes within the framework of corporate social responsibility. "We have signed another agreement with Prince Majed Society for Social Development to provide the young men and women who join the program with basic skills required for voluntary work and provide the necessary legal services to the needy," Garoub said. A number of businessmen and businesswomen have extended their support to the humanitarian initiative, which has received backing from King Khalid Charitable Foundation and Takamul Program of Princess Sultana Bint Abdullah Al-Faisal. "We have also received support from Qassim University, King Khalid University in Abha and King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah," he said. Dr. Rida Obaid, member of the scientific council at Saudi Law Training Center and Saleh Al-Turki, chairman of Nesma Training Center, attended the event. During the signing ceremony, businessmen Abdul Qader Al-Bakri and Mazen Ridwan, Okaz newspaper, Tarahum committee, Yasin Khayat, chairman of the lawyers committee in Jeddah, Sanabul Al-Ata company, King Khaled Charitable Foundation, HRDF, and Prince Majed Society for Social Development were honored.
