Pro Bono Program

Access IHR LEGAL’s Pro Bono Program: a reflection of the firm’s commitment to victims of human rights violations and to the defense of democracy.

At IHR LEGAL, a signatory to the Pro Bono Declaration for the Americas, we believe that international human rights protection mechanisms should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial means. Our Program provides specialized human rights legal assistance, free of charge, to individuals in situations of vulnerability or who would otherwise be unable to access such services.

We are convinced that our profession comes with an essential social responsibility and offers a unique opportunity to drive change. For this reason, throughout our trajectory, we have supported various pro bono cases, contributing to international access to justice for individuals and communities in situations of particular vulnerability, as well as to causes essential to the protection of democracy. We prioritize cases in which our involvement can generate a substantial impact, taking into account criteria such as economic vulnerability, public interest, legal viability, and the case’s broader social significance.

Areas of Work:

  • Legal representation before the Inter-American Commission and Court of Human Rights.
  • Legal representation before United Nations treaty bodies and special procedures, such as the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
  • Legal representation before the European Court of Human Rights.
  • Legal representation before the African Commission and Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
  • Legal representation before INTERPOL.
  • Development and execution of advocacy strategies.
  • Human rights training for non-governmental organizations, legal clinics, and groups of victims.

Ignacio J Alvarez Abogado - International human Rights Law“Pro bono service is an integral part of our identity as a law firm. As human rights attorneys, we consider it our duty to contribute to universal access to international human rights protection mechanisms.”
Ignacio J. Álvarez Martínez – Executive Director

“Our Pro Bono Program connects us with the essence of our profession: serving others. Pro bono work is an ethical obligation.” 

Camila Cabral Ríos Canosa – Pro Bono Coordinator

If you believe our Pro Bono Program may be able to help you with your legal needs, please complete the form below:

Request Pro Bono Legal Services

Once we receive your request, we will review your case and let you know whether we can take it. Please remember that this form does not create an attorney-client relationship, and that some human rights bodies have strict time limits for submitting claims.

Highlights of our Pro Bono Work:

  • We provided legal advice and representation to the indigenous Shipia Wayúu community affected by the humanitarian crisis in La Guajira – Colombia, marked by a lack of access to clean water, adequate food, and medical care. As part of this representation, we submitted a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. We monitored compliance with the precautionary measures granted, participated in hearings, working meetings, and designed an advocacy strategy. The case was admitted by the IACHR, and the precautionary measures remain in force for thousands of children, adolescents, older adults, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.

  • We submitted a communication and request for interim measures to the United Nations Human Rights Committee on behalf of an adolescent with hearing and cognitive disabilities who had been institutionalized for six years, separated from her family, and without having had the opportunity to be heard in domestic proceedings due to her disability. The Committee admitted the case and granted the interim measures, urging the authorities to ensure her right to be heard, taking into account her specific needs. The victim is now reunited with her family.
  • In response to the electoral fraud in Venezuela on July 28, 2024, we submitted a communication and request for interim measures to the United Nations Human Rights Committee. The Committee admitted this landmark case and issued urgent interim measures, requiring Venezuela to preserve all essential electoral materials, such as voting tallies and supplementary sheets, while the case is pending.

Source: BBC and Reuters.

Pro Bono Coordination:
Mariana Hernández
hernandez@ihr.legal
Camila Cabral
cabral@ihr.legal