Right to legal counsel
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 11. In the US Constitution: 6th Amendment.
What the text actually says
Passages tagged with this topic, from the Constitute Project.
Amendment VIAmendment VI In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
Everyone who is detained, including every sentenced prisoner, has the right- to choose, and to consult with, a legal practitioner, and to be informed of this right promptly;
Everyone who is detained, including every sentenced prisoner, has the right- to have a legal practitioner assigned to the detained person by the state and at state expense, if substantial injustice would otherwise result, and to be informed of this right promptly;
Country by country
| Country | Declared | Practiced |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 100% | — |
| Albania | 100% | — |
| Algeria | 100% | — |
| Angola | 100% | — |
| Argentina | 100% | — |
| Armenia | 100% | — |
| Azerbaijan | 100% | — |
| Bahrain | 100% | — |
| Bangladesh | 100% | — |
| Barbados | 100% | — |
| Belarus | 100% | — |
| Bhutan | 100% | — |
| Bolivia | 100% | — |
| Botswana | 100% | — |
| Brazil | 100% | — |
| Bulgaria | 100% | — |
| Burma/Myanmar | 100% | — |
| Cambodia | 100% | — |
| Canada | 100% | — |
| Cape Verde | 100% | — |
| Central African Republic | 100% | — |
| Chile | 100% | — |
| Colombia | 100% | — |
| Croatia | 100% | — |
| Cuba | 100% | — |
| Cyprus | 100% | — |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 100% | — |
| Djibouti | 100% | — |
| Dominican Republic | 100% | — |
| Ecuador | 100% | — |
| Egypt | 100% | — |
| El Salvador | 100% | — |
| Estonia | 100% | — |
| Eswatini | 100% | — |
| Ethiopia | 100% | — |
| Fiji | 100% | — |
| Georgia | 100% | — |
| Ghana | 100% | — |
| Guinea | 100% | — |
| Guinea-Bissau | 100% | — |
| Guyana | 100% | — |
| Haiti | 100% | — |
| Honduras | 100% | — |
| India | 100% | — |
| Iran | 100% | — |
| Iraq | 100% | — |
| Italy | 100% | — |
| Jamaica | 100% | — |
| Japan | 100% | — |
| Kazakhstan | 100% | — |
| Kenya | 100% | — |
| Kosovo | 100% | — |
| Laos | 100% | — |
| Latvia | 100% | — |
| Lesotho | 100% | — |
| Liberia | 100% | — |
| Lithuania | 100% | — |
| Madagascar | 100% | — |
| Malawi | 100% | — |
| Malaysia | 100% | — |