Gatejuristen in short
Gatejuristen provides free legal aid on a seek-out basis to people with drug problems, the main focus being on those with particularly grave drug problems. Target groups are both present and former drug addicts.
Organisation
Gatejuristen is a permanent department of the foundation Kirkens Bymisjon (The Church City Mission) in Oslo. Gatejuristen`s manager is Ms. Cathrine Moksness. The office is run by four regular employees and approximately 65 volunteers. The volunteers are mainly lawyers and jurists who work pro bono for Gatejuristen after hours in their regular jobs. Approximately 25 volunteers work as case handlers, and the remaining volunteers have various other tasks such as quality control of the legal aid provided, lex ferenda work, giving lectures and office administration.
Gatejuristen at work
Phone consultations are given at regular office hours throughout the work week. Personal consultations are given at client reception in Gatejuristen`s office every Thursday from 5 pm to 7 pm and every Monday from 1 pm to 3 pm. In addition to this, Gatejuristen has client reception at various stays and dorms for drug addicts. Gatejuristen works on a seek-out basis, the main focus area being down town Oslo. Every other Thursday Gatejuristen`s employees and volunteers are co-working with the public seek-out service of the City of Oslo.
The case handling usually starts out as a conversation between the case handler and the client at Gatejuristen`s office. The case handler is one of the volunteer lawyers or jurists working for Gatejuristen, and she or he is the personal consultant of the client throughout the process. During client reception there are two people from Gatejuristen present at all times, an arrangement that secures quality and privacy.
Gatejuristen offers guidance on the rules of law and/or representation towards third parties. Either Gatejuristen deals with the case itself or relegates it to a different legal aid institution such as Juss-Buss (legal aid office run by law students), JURK (legal aid for women) or the public office for free legal aid, or to a lawyer.
The history of Gatejuristen
Gatejuristen was founded in August 2004. The first client reception took place on the 17th of January in 2005. During the three first years in business Gatejuristen has had 850 clients and has handled more than 1200 separate cases.
Gatejuristen in other parts of Norway Gatejuristen has put significant effort and resources into contributing to the foundation of similar legal aid offices around Norway. By 2008, Gatejuristen will start an office in Tromsø with separate funding, and the concept has also been met with great interest in other parts of Norway. For example, there is a dialogue going on with potential founders in Bergen, Hamar and Kristiansand.
Contact information Office- and mail address: Rådhusgata 9, 0151 Oslo, Norway Telephone: +47 22 42 55 97 Website: www.gatejuristen.no