In a sign of the country's uneven distribution of legal resources, only 5,000 out of the country's 200,000 lawyers work in underdeveloped central and western regions.

Sun stressed that the legal aid program will help "promote fairness and justice, which is related to the vital interests of local people as well as social harmony and stability".

Ma Lan, a lawyer at the Beijing-based Gaotong Law Firm, went to Shandan county, Gansu province, in July 2010.

As the only lawyer in the county, Ma said her goal was to "do as much as possible" and she did not "care about how big the case is".

"Most of the cases I handled were small, ranging from family and villagers' disputes, lost livestock, fake seeds or fertilizer to migrant workers' rights, and they usually didn't involve a huge amount of compensation," Ma told China Daily.

The cases, however, had to be handled with diligence as "600-yuan compensation could mean everything for a farmer although it may be nothing for a city dweller", she said.

Ma and her colleagues shared a simply equipped office with just one computer. But she said she was glad of the opportunity to volunteer as "lawyers should not only serve wealthy people".

Li Guifang, deputy head of the criminal defense committee under the All China Lawyers Association (ACLA), said the legal aid project helps protect the legitimate rights and interests of disadvantaged groups.

"However, it can't fundamentally solve the problem of the uneven distribution of legal resources in the country," he said.

He said economic development of less well-off areas is the key to bringing in more legal professionals.

Li called for more financial support from the government and society to expand the scale of the legal aid project and improve working and living conditions for volunteers.