PETALING JAYA, Dec 7 — The Bar Council’s Human Rights Committee has launched MyBar Pro Bono Hub, an initiative aimed at connecting law firms with civil society groups seeking legal assistance.
Malaysian Bar president Mohamad Ezri Abdul Wahab said pro bono work is a professional obligation rooted in the ethics and oaths of the legal profession, not charity, or something done merely for convenience.
“Access to justice must not depend on the weight of one’s wallet, the location of one’s birth, or the status of one’s citizenship. Justice is a public good, not a premium product. Pro bono is the bridge between entitlement and reality,” he said during his speech at Human Rights Festival 2025 here today.
He said the platform will provide coordinated support for civil society partners, create pathways for young lawyers to build a culture of service early in their careers, strengthen access to legal representation for vulnerable groups, and highlight the often invisible work undertaken by members of the Bar.
He also said the hub aims to honour and strengthen the commitment of many lawyers who have worked quietly representing detainees, refugees, victims of domestic violence, children in conflict with the law, survivors of trafficking, and families facing state power without legal support.
“We live in an era of shifting rights landscapes and mounting socio-economic pressures. Vulnerability takes many forms: the worker dismissed without cause, the mother denied nationality for her child, the stateless youth navigating adulthood without papers, the person with a disability denied equal access, migrants detained indefinitely, and the ordinary consumer misled or defrauded. These are not isolated incidents, they are systemic realities requiring systemic responses,” he added.
Also speaking at the festival, co-chair Cassandra Nicole Thomazios said law firms of any size can register to offer free legal services, while NGOs can submit requests for assistance.
She added that all cases will be reviewed by a working group under the Bar Council’s Human Rights Committee, which will match them with suitable volunteer law firms.
“She then described the hub as a transformative step towards strengthening Malaysia’s pro bono culture and ensuring that legal support reaches those who need it most,” the statement said.
