Spark the inspiration
Born in the small town of Hadzhidimovo near Gotse Delchev, Zdravko Andonov has always loved reading and feeding his curiosity about the world around him, ever since he was a child. At some point, his love for literature also sparked his interest in law.
“I’m still at the stage of looking for my place in law – looking for the precise profession that will inspire me”, says the young man. He’s part of the first Legal Incubator in Bulgaria, created at the end of 2019 with the support of the Trust for Social Achievement.
“For me, this was an excellent opportunity, through this project, I was confronted with the issues of real people – stories, which even experienced lawyers and mediators often want to achieve on behalf of their clients, as an opportunity to prove oneself and as an opportunity for work and practice”, shares Zdravko.
11 participants have already finished the first stage of the Legal Incubator. Among them are law students and young people with a keen sense of justice and a desire to do volunteer work. The aim of the initiative is to provide free legal services and consultations to people from vulnerable communities with low incomes who don’t have access to legal aid. During their training in the Incubator, the young people rely on the mentorship of experienced lawyers.
The second stage of the Legal Incubator will include 30 new participants and will take place in the summer of 2023.
Zdravko heard about the Legal Incubator when he was talking to a friend of his who is a doctor and a role model of sorts; a good example for young people from the community. “I’m very grateful to this day that he encouraged me to apply. For everything he taught me during these last two years of work, the contacts that I made, the opportunities I was given – to get a professional specialization in the sphere of discrimination and racism”, Zdravko says. The young man sees the Incubator as an opportunity to fight inequalities in society. For two years, Zdravko has worked on 54 cases. “I helped, for example, with the issuing of property deeds for people who have lived for over 20 years in homes that were built on lots that nobody claimed.” Zdravko is certain that he couldn’t receive the experience he has gained even in the most prestigious of law firms.
Zdravko was intern in the New Balkans Law Office and is continuing on the path of law, guided by his desire and ambition to receive a law license. Now he is a lawyer at the Fund for Community Investments in Peshtera, TSA partner in the Zoning Program.
Trust
