Legal Aid for Asylum Seekers: Progress and Challenges in Italy

This article analyses the legal aid scheme for asylum seekers in Italy. In particular, it discusses the actual availability of high-quality legal representation in the context of asylum procedures and, in as much as they affect the right to claim asylum, expulsions and rejections at the border. This work identifies the following major problems: gaps in the applicable laws, difficulties in accessing lawyers for asylum seekers in detention, lack of legal aid for claimants rejected at the border and during the first stage of the asylum procedure, and inadequate remuneration for legal aid lawyers. As a consequence asylum seekers' chances of obtaining protection are reduced. Legal aid should be an essential safeguard in the context of asylum procedures and the Italian government should take additional steps to expand it.