Country Manager – BABSEACLE, Laos

Lawyer/Founder – The Legal House Laos

Pavina Thephithuck is a lawyer and founder of the social enterprise law firm, The Legal House Laos. She is a member of the Lao Bar Association and assists in running the Lao Bar Association Sisattanak District Bar Association office. Additionally, she serves as the Deputy Head of the Legal Aid Sector and is the Laos Country Manager at BABSEACLE, a non-profit organization based in Lao PDR. 

Her career began when she was a student at the Clinical Legal Education program since 2010. After graduating in July 2013, she joined BABSEACLE as a Legal Fellow. Since then, she has been instrumental in fostering Clinical Legal Education (CLE) throughout the country. She has partnered with the Faculty of Law and Political Science (FLP) at the National University of Laos, the Faculty of Law and Administration (FLA) at Champasak University, the Ministry of Justice National Institute of Justice in Vientiane Capital, and three other campuses in Luangphang, Savannakhet, and Champasak to develop law graduates, foster access to justice, and promote a culture of Pro Bono within the legal sector and profession.

This effort is aimed at supporting access to justice and the rule of law through various projects and programs such as ‘Bringing Justice Closer to Women Suffering from Gender-Based Violence’ under the EIDHR grant, and ‘Increasing Capacity of Universities, Law School Courses, and In-House Clinics to Supplement Legal Aid Services in Laos’ as part of the Development and Strengthening of Clinical Legal Education (CLE) at NUOL FLP, FLA, NIJ, and other legal educational support initiatives under the Laos Legal Aid Support Project, which is supported by The Legal Aid Support Program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and The Asia Foundation.

Additionally, she is involved in ‘Strengthening Access to Justice in Lao PDR’ under The Citizen Engagement for Good Governance, Accountability, and the Rule of Law Program (CEGGA) implemented by GIZ, funded by the EU and Germany. She is also contributing to ‘Strengthening the Role of Lawyers in the Lao Bar Association Advancing Rule of Law and Access to Justice in Lao PDR’ as part of the Thanaikoum Project by UNDP.  

She started her social enterprise law firm, The Legal House Laos, in August 2022. Her goal is not only to inspire female lawyers, but also to support local lawyers in starting their own law firms as local businesses. Through the pro bono policy at her firm, she helps represent clients in court and provides pro bono legal aid services, including legal awareness, legal information, legal consultation, and training.