MOSCOW, November 23 - RAPSI. President Medvedev has signed a law on free legal assistance, which obliges public officers to render free legal consultations to Russian citizens and to assist socially unprotected people in drafting complaints as well as to represent them in court.

The law is expected to come into force on January 15, 2012.

Pursuant to the current legislation, free legal assistance must be provided to poor and disadvantaged people.

Those lawyers, who will render free legal services, are expected to be paid by appropriate bars.