Little is known about the motives of lawyers who provide free legal assistance in countries that lack both a developed professional community and developed institutions related to the rule of law. Based on a survey of 3,317 criminal defense lawyers (advokaty) in 35 regions of Russia, we analyze the provision of two types of free legal services: participation in legal proceedings “on appointment” (po naznacheniyu) and the provision of pro bono legal assistance. We show that work on appointment usually involves lawyers with low social capital and a lack of regular clients. In contrast, pro bono legal assistance is encouraged by lawyers’ organizations. It is typically provided by professionals with a high level of social capital and with values aimed at maintaining an excellent professional reputation. We conclude that the provision of free legal services might best be stimulated within the professional community rather than by the government.

在缺乏发达的专业社区和发达的法治机构的国家，律师提供免费法律援助的动机鲜为人知。基于对俄罗斯 35 个地区的3,317 名刑事辩护律师 ( advokaty ) 的调查，我们分析了两种免费法律服务的提供情况：) 和提供无偿法律援助。我们表明，任命工作通常涉及社会资本低且缺乏固定客户的律师。相反，律师组织鼓励无偿法律援助。它通常由具有高水平社会资本和旨在保持良好专业声誉的价值观的专业人士提供。我们的结论是，免费法律服务的提供可能最好在专业社区内而不是由政府来刺激。