SMU Associate Professor of Law (Practice) Rathna Nathan said that free legal aid has a 2,000-year history, going by its Latin term pro bono publico, meaning “for the public good”. It can be traced to Roman times and has been present in Britain since 1275. “It was an ethical obligation or social responsibility,” she said. “In ancient times, people became lawyers and doctors to serve society, not to make money.”
Source
The Straits Times
ST_20120610_1.pdf653.35 KB