ISLP provides pro bono legal assistance to governments and civil society organizations in the Global South and in countries transitioning to democracy and market-based economies, leveraging global legal resources in alignment with client needs to support just, accountable and inclusive development.
What We Do
ISLP provides top-tier pro bono legal services to three primary groups of clients — governments, civil society actors, and social enterprises — cognizant that each represents an important tenet of inclusive development.
ISLP’s legal support focuses on the following intersecting thematic areas:
- accountability and transparency/anti-bribery and anti-corruption
- community-inclusive development
- investment and trade
- media law and freedom of expression
- natural resource management
- responsible technology
- social enterprises and innovative finance
- tax
We seek to engage where there is a genuine need for pro bono legal assistance and the opportunity to make a contribution to the rule of law and inclusive, accountable, and sustainable development. Engagements are driven by client needs and based on the attorney-client model: volunteer legal experts provide advice and guidance, while clients direct development decisions and outcomes.
Recent ISLP Publications
Global Minimum Tax Guide
Many countries will be affected by the Pillar Two Global Anti-Base Erosion (GloBE) minimum tax proposal whether or not they participate actively in the OECD–G20 Inclusive Framework on base erosion and profit shifting. The GloBE initiative creates a pool of potential tax revenues on corporate multinationals’ incomes to be collected by GloBE participating countries whenever the effective tax rate of a multinational in the country falls below 15%.
Private Investment Funds Governance Handbook
The International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP) is pleased to make this Private Investment Funds Governance Handbook available to the impact investment community. The Handbook was authored principally by a team of seasoned private equity lawyers from the respected Morgan, Lewis & Bockius international law firm acting pro bono publico.
In 2015, the United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Hailed as a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet,” the Agenda lays out the key elements needed to achieve this, known as the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. Our 2021 Annual Report illustrates how ISLP’s mission and work align with the SDG framework.
As the report describes, while many of our projects simultaneously advance multiple SDGs, ISLP’s overall mission to advance the rule of law and inclusive, just, and accountable development most explicitly aligns with SDG 16’s call to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.” More specifically, support to governments, civil society, and social enterprises helps to level the playing field – providing access to legal services to critical stakeholders that otherwise would not be able to afford such support. Fundamentally, we aim to contribute to positive systems change, whereby legal and regulatory frameworks governing development are made more transparent, equitable, and sustainable. Many of our projects advance additional SDGs, which we note in the project descriptions in the report.
We are proud to support and contribute to this important global effort.
Where We Work
ISLP regularly handles over 100 projects each year throughout the Global South.
Hover over dots on the map to see recent examples of our impact around the world.
News
ISLP Volunteer Spotlight: Jorge Kamine, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Jorge Kamine is a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, where he co-chairs the Project Finance & Investment Practice Group. His expertise spans a variety of energy and [...]
Preserving Indigenous communities’ heritage and language in artificial intelligence
ISLP and volunteers from Winston & Strawn are drafting two model contracts for IndigiGenius, a social enterprise established to preserve and protect the cultural heritage of Indigenous communities, while ensuring inclusion [...]
Supporting African creatives and entrepreneurs through intellectual-property based financing
ISLP and volunteers from Pinsent Masons are confronting the challenge of supporting intellectual property-based financing, a global priority for the World Intellectual Property Organization. Specifically targeting several key African jurisdictions, this [...]