Centre for the Social Responsibility of Lawyers

The CRSAM

Pro Bono Work

Projects

Training and other resources

Contact Us

crsam

The CRSAM


What is the Social Responsibility of Lawyers?

The concept of the Social Responsibility of Lawyers (RSA) is based on that of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It is, however, adapted according to the essential role that lawyers play in society, guaranteeing access to justice and by virtue of the profession’s connection with said constitutional value. We, lawyers, have a responsibility towards the society in which we work, and more so as professionals intimately related to the constitutional value of Justice, used to solve complex problems, negotiate, mediate and lead. The idea behind the RSA is to respond to the imperative of giving back to the society a part of what we, lawyers, receive from it. The way to do it is to act for the good of society while still being lawyers. Examples of activities that fit into the concept of RSA would be pro bono work, social action, legal guidance, good corporate governance, training, promotion of diversity, conciliation, fight against discrimination or solidarity and environmental initiatives.

ICAM Centre for Social Responsibility of Madrid Lawyers

The Centre for Social Responsibility of Madrid Lawyers (Centro de Responsabilidad Social de la Abogacía Madrileña, CRSAM), created in 2008, aims to tend to the Social Responsibility of the Bar and the Lawyers. In fulfilment of its objective, the CRSAM’s mission is to encourage social action and social volunteering in order to promote the improvement of rights and access to justice and legal assistance in those communities that most need it, while fully respecting those other functions of general interest that the Bar is legally and statutorily entrusted with.

CRSAM carries out its goals through the promotion of pro bono work as well as other social action programs.

Related documents

probono

Pro Bono Jobs


“Pro Bono” derives from the Latin phrase “pro bono publico” which refers to actions carried out “for the public good”. This is the voluntary provision of free legal advice for the benefit of needy, underprivileged, socially vulnerable or marginalised individuals or communities and the organisations that assist them, as well as the provision of free legal advice on matters of public interest.

Scope of pro bono work

The pro bono legal advice provided through CRSAM is intended for social entities. Natural persons may benefit from such advice through these entities, but not directly. Legal advice seeks to respond to specific queries made by these social entities on aspects not covered by their internal legal advice or by other means. Pro bono work also includes free legal training for these social entities and/or their beneficiaries.

How does CRSAM carry out this function of promoting pro bono work?

The CRSAM promotes the pro bono work of ICAM members by putting the lawyer in contact with the beneficiary of this work. To this end, the CRSAM maintains, on the one hand, a register of those lawyers interested in participating in this program and, on the other hand, agreements with various non-profit social entities that pursue social interest purposes and require the provision of these services pro bono.

projects

Projects


Discover the projects offered by the Centre for Social Responsibility of Madrid Lawyers (CRSAM) and choose the one that best suits your profile. CRSAM’s mission is to encourage social action and social volunteering in order to promote the improvement of rights and access to justice and legal assistance in those communities that are most need it. To this end, it promotes pro bono work as well as other social action programs.

Pro Bono Legal Advice

“Pro Bono” derives from the Latin phrase “pro bono publico” which refers to actions carried out “for the public good”. This is the voluntary provision of free legal advice for the benefit of needy, underprivileged, socially vulnerable or marginalized individuals or communities and the organizations that assist them, as well as the provision of free legal advice on matters of public interest.

The pro bono legal advice provided through CRSAM is intended for social entities. Natural persons may benefit from such advice through these entities, but not directly. Legal advice seeks to respond to specific queries made by these social entities on aspects not covered by their internal legal advice or by other means. Pro bono work also includes free legal training for these social entities and/or their beneficiaries.

How does CRSAM carry out this function of promoting pro bono work?

The CRSAM promotes the pro bono work of ICAM members by putting the lawyer in contact with the beneficiary of this work. To this end, the CRSAM maintains, on the one hand, a register of those lawyers interested in participating in this program and, on the other hand, agreements with various non-profit social entities that pursue social interest purposes and require the provision of these services pro bono. Press here to obtain the curriculum.

Training programmes for groups at risk or exclusion

The pro bono legal advice provided through CRSAM is intended for social entities. Our way of reaching your beneficiaries is through free legal training seminars aimed at groups at risk of exclusion or NGO workers working with them.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

The project aims to inform the elderly of the Community of Madrid, through conferences and talks, about some of the legal aspects of special relevance for their group. This is carried out in a close and accessible environment, such as the Community of Madrid’s own Senior Citizens’ Centres. The Professor Uría Foundation has collaborated with the CRSAM by preparing the guide with the content of the lectures and the talks are given by volunteer lawyers in the Senior Citizens’ Centres.

Do you want to participate?

If you want to participate in the “Know Your Rights” programme, please call us Monday through Friday from 9 am to 2 pm, at 91 788 93 80 (extension 1930). We will inform you about the times and dates of the courses.

Once you have registered, you will receive an e-mail with the complete details of the centre, date and time and the partner with whom you will be conducting the training

CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOCIOCULTURAL KNOWLEDGE PROGRAM

The Center for Social Responsibility of the Legal Profession has participated since January 2017, in this program organized by the Community of Madrid with the aim of, through exhibitions by volunteer lawyers, making didactically known to foreign residents in the Community of Madrid who want to obtain Spanish nationality, the basic ideas of our democratic organization so that they can prove knowledge about the Constitution and the Spanish social and cultural reality. These talks will take place throughout the year at the Centers for Participation and Integration of Immigrants (CEPI) of the Community of Madrid.

The Wolter Kluwers Foundation has produced an accessible and easy-to-read version of the manual that the Cervantes Institute provides to those who wish to obtain Spanish nationality.

Do you want to participate?

If you want to participate in the “Constitutional and Sociocultural Knowledge Program”, please call us from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 2 pm, at 91 788 93 80 (extension 1930). We will inform you about the hours and dates of the conference.

Once registered, you will receive an email with the complete information of your center, date and time.

KNOW YOUR LAWS

The Social Responsibility Center of the Madrid Legal Profession participates in the “Know your Laws” Program organized by the Deputy Ministry of Immigration of the Community of Madrid together with the Wolters Kluwer and Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Foundations. The program aims to make known, through talks to the immigrant population, the essential aspects of the Spanish legal and institutional system and thus promote their integration in the Community of Madrid.

The professionals of the Law teach the participants essential aspects of the norms that govern coexistence in our country, the different attributions of the powers that make up the State, the Spanish political organizations, Fundamental Rights, as well as the basic notions in labor matters , labor market, immigration law, arraigo, residence and work authorizations, among other aspects. The talks are held throughout the year at the Centers for Participation and Integration of Immigrants (CEPI) of the Community of Madrid, with an extensive calendar of days and times.

To participate you just have to be registered here and contact us through the mail rsocialabogacia@icam.es or by phone 91 788 93 80 (Ext. 1930) to inform you about the dates available to collaborate in said program.

Training for social entities

The Centre for the Social Responsibility of Madrid Lawyers, together with the Fernando Pombo Foundation, organises the annual series of talks for legal training for NGOs, “Main Responsibilities of Non-Profit Organisations”. The aim of this project is to respond to the main legal concerns of non-profit organisations in matters of special interest to them, such as: Fiscal, Labour, Industrial and Intellectual Property, Data Protection and Transparency and Good Governance. The courses are focused on providing legal tools and knowledge to third sector entities, transmitting the risks assumed by the entities due to voluntary or involuntary non-compliance with their legal obligations and facilitating the exchange of experiences.

If you work in a social organisation and are interested in receiving information about upcoming courses, please send an email with your details to rsocialabogacia@icam.es

Institutional support for social entities

The Madrid Bar Association, through the Centre, provides institutional support to social entities through the transfer of its corporate image and by producing publications in collaboration with social entities aimed at lawyers.

Guides published:

“50 preguntas al acceder a un régimen de semilibertad”, Asociación Eslabón, which compiles the queries raised from different areas of the penal sector in relation to the social and labour incorporation of people who are leaving the penal institution and must be integrated into society.

“Legal Guide 2019” , United Peoples. Basic information on matters of aliens, irregular stay, asylum process, sanctioning procedure and CIE for foreigners in Spain, and those who assist them.

“Guía de Actuación en la Asistencia Jurídica a Solicitantes de Protección Internacional”, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), on asylum law and international protection, for lawyers. It aims to improve the legal assistance provided to immigrants and applicants for international protection.

training

Training and other resources


Do you want to know the advantages of working pro bono?

We want to share with you the first reports on Pro Bono in the Community of Madrid so that you can learn more about what Pro Bono work is and how it can benefit you. Download them and learn more about what it is and how it can benefit both the Madrid legal profession and society at large.

The first work, the Study on pro bono in the Community of Madrid“, is an in-depth analysis of the historical aspects of “pro bono”, the ethics of the legal profession as a profession and its features when coexisting with the free legal aid system.

The second study, the Guide to the implementation and management of pro bono work“, aims to answer many questions about content and operation, from an extensive, creative and exciting vision of this type of work.

Finally, the Guide on how to create, organise, manage and conduct a legal clinic in a law school responds to our desire to train socially responsible jurists as essential legal operators and key elements of the entire system of rights and freedoms of our social and democratic state under the rule of law.

For the elaboration of these publications we have resorted to numerous Spanish and foreign sources, including similar guides, articles, interviews and reflections of first line professionals…..


Know Your Laws Programme

The aim of the integration programme “Know your Laws” is to inform the immigrant population about the essential aspects of the Spanish legal and institutional system and thus promote their integration into the Community of Madrid.

Through the Centre for the Social Responsibility of Madrid Lawyers, the Madrid Bar Association disseminates this initiative and offers its members the opportunity to participate as volunteers.

Each module lasts two hours and is taught by two volunteers, who will have the following teaching materials:

1. Contents guide: This is the central document whose contents are to be transferred to the session, structured in three sections that include: “Concept”, where a brief description of the subject to be dealt with is made, “Content”, in which the relevant contents are developed in a slightly broader way and finally “Reference Materials”, which consist of a list of resources or websites where specialised information can be found, which has been used to develop the guide or may be useful to extend its contents.

2. Didactic booklet: It contains the general framework of the programme, as well as indications and suggestions regarding the methodology to be followed in the training, under the criteria of the trainer and in addition to providing the resources, exercises and dynamics related to the contents to be taught, in order to facilitate learning and assimilation in a simpler and more dynamic manner.

3. Power Point presentation: The session can be guided with the help of the projection of a PowerPoint presentation, if the trainer considers it appropriate. It includes the most relevant structural elements of the Contents Guide. Thus, the explanations are complemented with the contents of the Guide and the proposals of the Didactic booklet; it can be adapted to the needs of the attendants and the trainer.

Both the contents of the different modules and the methodological proposals must be taken into account as a guideline. It will be the trainer who decides to include some contents or others, based on those proposed in the Contents Guide, as long as they are adapted to the needs of the participants of each session and the knowledge and contributions of the trainer regarding the subject. In short, each trainer can make use of other materials that they consider appropriate to complete the objectives of the module.

All centres will make available to the speakers both the Power Point presentation and the projector.

Do you want to participate?

If you want to participate in the “Know Your Laws” programme, please call us Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 2 pm, at 91 788 93 80 (extension 1930). We will inform you about the times and dates of the courses.

Once you have registered, you will receive an e-mail with the complete details of the centre, date, time and the partner with whom you will be conducting the training.

Programme content

The aim of the programme is to provide new citizens with knowledge about Spanish society in order to facilitate their integration into our society. It consists of the following modules:

1. Rights and Duties: Constitutional framework

This module aims to inform and provide new citizens with basic knowledge about the Spanish Constitution and the Spanish legal system, constitutional values, the structure of Spain, the division of powers, the competent bodies, the laws of daily life, their rights and duties, etc.

2. Tools for access to employment

This module aims to inform and guide about the main resources for the social and labour insertion of the participants.

3. Spanish regulations on immigration

This module aims to inform and guide on the different situations in which foreigners may find themselves in Spain, and on the main administrative procedures regarding foreigners (acquisition of Spanish nationality, anti-discrimination measures, etc.).


“Know your Rights” Programme 2019 Edition

The aim of the “Know your rights” integration programme is to provide training to the elderly of the Community of Madrid through lectures and seminars on some of the legal aspects of special relevance to their social group.

Each module lasts an hour and a half with a presentation of about forty-five minutes plus discussion or intervention time for the attendees, to clarify doubts or share reflections on the issues raised.

It is taught by two volunteers who act on behalf of the Bar Association. They will use the following materials:


“Constitutional and sociocultural knowledge” programme

The integration programme “Constitutional and sociocultural knowledge to pass the examination prior to obtaining nationality”, which begins in January 2017, aims to provide immigrants who have difficulties in passing the so-called CCSE test –both because of their cultural origin and their level of education– with supplementary training so that, if they so desire, they may pass this test and be in a better position for integration within Spanish society.

Each lecture has a duration of two hours and includes the possibility of following the guide available for this purpose, in order to clarify doubts or share reflections on the issues raised.

The volunteers who provide the training on behalf of the Association will be responsible for the following tasks:

  • Task 1: Government, legislation and citizen participation
  • Task 2: Fundamental rights and duties
  • Task 3: Territorial organisation of Spain

….

icono pdf

Guide to the test of constitutional and sociocultural knowledge of spain (Spanish)


For social entities

The Centre, together with the Fernando Pombo Foundation, has organised the series of talks for legal training for NGOs, “Main Responsibilities of Non-Profit Organisations”. The aim of the project has been to respond to the main legal concerns of non-profit organisations.

The courses are focused on providing legal tools and knowledge to third sector entities, transmitting the risks assumed by the entities due to voluntary or involuntary non-compliance with their legal obligations and facilitating the exchange of experiences.

contact

Contact Us


Location C/ Serrano, 9, 3ª planta
Hours Monday to Friday: 8 am to 3 pm
Telephone 914 369 900 / 917 889 380 (Ext. 1930)
Email rsocialabogacia@icam.es