Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST)

BLAST is one of the largest legal services organizations in Bangladesh, operating in over nineteen districts. BLAST has certain unique features as a legal services organization. First, it assists both women and men. Second, it undertakes extensive criminal defense work and has a considerable specialization in labour law, in addition to expertise on family and land law. BLAST is the only NGO able to provide access to legal aid across the spectrum from the frontlines of the formal justice system to the apex court. BLAST is governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of eminent jurists, lawyers, and human rights advocates. Besides its own core staff lawyers at headquarters and at each district unit, BLAST has an enlisted panel of about 2300 lawyers across the country who provide legal redress to clients on a pro bono basis, with a nominal honorarium. It is also well represented by lawyers pursuing its cases in the High Court Division and Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. BLAST has gained proven expertise in providing legal aid to poor and disadvantaged clients in 57,467 cases to date. Over the years, out of 1,15,182 applications received for legal assistance, BLAST responded to 20,133 by resolving them through mediation. It has also filed about 82 public interest litigation cases before the Supreme Court of Bangladesh as part of its advocacy for law and policy reforms to address institutional obstacles to justice delivery. It regularly undertakes awareness programmes on legal rights for community members in its areas of operation, including family laws, criminal law and land laws. It is also involved in regular coordination meetings with local administration officials, in particular those within the judiciary, and with CSOs.