Azerbaijan, Baku, March 2 / Trend , K. Zarbaliyeva/
Agency to supply poor families with a lawyer will be established in Azerbaijan.
It is planned to establish either an independent agency or an agency, which is part of the Justice Ministry or the Supreme Court (SC), SC Chairman Ramiz Rzayev reported on Tuesday.
Rzayev said he did not want this agency to be part of the SC.
"If we hire a lawyer for a side, which suffers from financial hardships, the opposite side can regard this decision of the court as a patronage to the opponent. Therefore, agency to be established must be independent," the Chairman said.
According to Rzayev, the financial position of a person, who asks to hire a lawyer, should be examined by this agency. If the material position of his family appears to be lower than the living minimum, an agreement will be concluded between this person and a lawyer; and the agency will pay for the lawyer's services.
The agency the question is about will have its own budget; and money as payment for the lawyer's services will be assigned from this budget, said Rzayev.
"The payment for lawyer's services has recently increased by 100%. Nevertheless, this level leaves better to desire. Lawyers, who are appointed to this post, earn lesser than contracted lawyers do. If this agency starts operating, this difference will be eliminated", the SC Chairman said.
The SC Chairman thinks independent operation of such agency in Azerbaijan is essential.
According to Azerbaijani legal provisions, participation of a lawyer in civil cassation appeals is compulsory.