Accompanying You to the End—Forum of the 318 Fourth Anniversary Pro Bono Lawyer Platform
Last edited: 2026-11-08
During the Sunflower Student Movement (318 Anti-Black-Box Cross-Strait Trade Agreement Movement), JRF established a 24-hour police accompaniment hotline to provide legal assistance to protesters arrested by the police. Later, it further established a pro-bono lawyer team, rallying as many as 400 lawyers to participate. Facing massive and lengthy legal procedures, JRF undertook the responsibility of the "Pro Bono Lawyer Platform," continuing to assist citizens who suffered state violence in filing private prosecutions and state compensation cases over the past four years.
This has brought about a clear change in Taiwanese society: people who participate in social movements and pursue democracy and freedom have an extra sense of confidence when taking to the streets. We have also seen more and more lawyers stepping forward from logistical roles to the front lines, joining the ranks of coordination and protecting both sides from unnecessary conflicts. It can be said that the platform summoned the courage to pursue democracy and freedom, ignited the passion of young lawyers, and overturned the public's imagination of lawyers.
On the Saturday before March 18, we invited the lawyers who "jumped into the pit" back then to the Eslite Underground Bookstore Street at Zhongshan Station to chat about how the legal team outside the courtroom operated, and also invited plaintiffs/clients to share their "user experiences."
Time
March 17, 2018 (Sat.) 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Taipei MRT Zhongshan Station Underground Bookstore Street R79 (outside Luguo Cafe)
Speakers
Lai Ying-chen, Attorney-at-Law (Managing Attorney, Formosa Transnational Attorneys-at-Law)
Li Hsuan-yi, Attorney-at-Law (Managing Attorney, Snow Valley & Nam Fong Law Firm)
Chen Meng-hsiu, Attorney-at-Law (Managing Attorney, Taihang International Attorneys-at-Law)
Sun Pin, Attorney-at-Law (Managing Attorney, Wen-Hui Law Firm)
Yu Po-hsiang, Attorney-at-Law (Managing Attorney, I-Chien Law Firm)
Lai Pin-yu (Participant in the Anti-Trade Agreement Movement)
Wu Chun-yen (Participant in the Anti-Trade Agreement Movement)
Moderator
Ho Yu-lun (Judicial Reform Foundation Pro Bono Lawyer Platform)
Live Stream
https://www.facebook.com/jrf.tw/videos/10155488492219077/
⛳More Lawyer Interviews
Interviews of the 318 Pro Bono Lawyer Team (Click to see more)
After the 318 Incident, lawyers, sensing the need for legal litigation, responded to the call one after another and joined the ranks of the pro-bono lawyer team. JRF served as the operating platform, thereby opening up a massive pit that transformed civil movements.
Ku Li-hsiung, Attorney-at-Law: "After the 318 incident occurred, the issue immediately faced was that of legal responsibility, and perhaps even criminal liability. Therefore, it was decided to begin broadly recruiting pro-bono lawyers willing to get involved, and JRF also responded by becoming the administrative platform connecting lawyers and the public."
"...Scarcely a few days after recruitment began, more than 200 enthusiastic lawyers joined very quickly, and in just a few more days, it exceeded 300 and 400. The response from lawyers was quite enthusiastic."
Lo Wan-ting, Attorney-at-Law: "At that time, lawyers took shifts inside the legislative chamber to comfort students, repeatedly publicize precautions for being arrested, and provide psychological preparation. Everyone held a small card with precautions for arrest written on it, and all students could fluently recite the JRF hotline. In addition to providing the information needed by supporters, JRF also acted as an intermediary to coordinate and organize the pro-bono lawyers, enabling communication among lawyers and ensuring they clearly knew the information regarding who needed assistance."
This article is an AI-generated translation of the original Chinese text. In the event of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.
