ISLP mobilizes pro bono legal support to advance economic development that is more just, inclusive, sustainable, and accountable. Our clients include governments, civil society organizations, and social enterprises. 

Our work is client-driven and based on the attorney-client model: volunteer legal experts provide advice and guidance, while clients direct development decisions and outcomes. ISLP’s assistance is meant to complement and support — not replace — local legal expertise. We are able to provide support in common and civil law jurisdictions, including those where languages other than English are spoken. 

ISLP draws from an international volunteer network of senior-level and retired attorneys with a deep understanding of the legal frameworks that shape economic development and who are recognized experts in their respective fields. We also partner with subject matter experts from academic institutions and leading local community organizations and non-governmental organizations.

We work primarily in the Global South, with current active matters in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Latin America, and Asia. We work across seven intersecting focus areas: Accountability and Transparency, Community-Inclusive Development, Innovative Finance and Social Enterprises, Investment and Trade, Media Law and Freedom of Expression, Natural Resource Management, Responsible Technology, and Tax. To see examples of ISLP’s work in these focus areas, click the links on the right.