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ISLP Newsletter, September 2025 |
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| Dear ISLP Friends and Colleagues,
As we approach ISLP’s milestone 25th Anniversary celebration, we are cognizant that our nonpartisan work at the intersection of development, rule of law, and human rights has never been more relevant – nor the operating environment more challenging. True to our mission, ISLP is working to help bridge gaps left by a widespread retrenchment of foreign assistance, and to bring vital legal support to partners around the world – including other non-profit and civil society organizations, governments experiencing resource limitations, and promising social enterprises requiring legal counsel to scale and thrive. At the heart of our work is a steadfast commitment to cultivating trust-based partnerships, a longstanding impartial approach that enables us to work effectively across sectors and jurisdictions, and the conviction that global development is not a “zero-sum” proposition. ISLP’s quarter-century track record is testament to our Founders’ vision that lawyers have a meaningful role to play in leveling the legal playing field of international development, strengthening accountability and transparency, and fostering a sound enabling environment for participatory democracy and inclusive economic progress.
Along with an invitation to join us as for a special event on November 10 in New York City, we are pleased to share below some highlights of our recent work, including in the areas of:
We thank each of our volunteers, partners, and supporters for their collaboration, trust, and invaluable contributions to this work and to ISLP’s mission.
Sara A. Lulo, Executive Director
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| Celebrate with us on November 10 at our
25th Anniversary Gala in New York City! |
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| ISLP is celebrating our first 25 years of global impact!
Join us on November 10, 2025 at ISLP’s 25th Anniversary Gala in New York City
The International Senior Lawyers Project started 25 years ago as a cutting edge idea for marshaling the expertise of top-flight lawyers after long and distinguished careers at major firms. Our founders’ theory was that international lawyers have a meaningful role to play in leveling the legal playing field of global development. Today our volunteers include lawyers at every stage of their careers making practical contributions to support governments, civil society, and social entrepreneurs. We are proud of our 25-year track record as a nonpartisan, effective force multiplier with outsized global impact.
 Keynoting the Gala will be NBC News journalist Andrea Mitchell. Now NBC News’ Chief Washington and Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Mitchell has reported on the events that shape our world for more than four decades. We will also be honoring law firms and volunteers who have made ISLP’s impact possible through their generous contributions of pro bono expertise.
Help fortify ISLP for the future! The gala is an important opportunity to support ISLP’s unique mission. Tickets are on sale now. Gala Sponsorship opportunities are also available. To learn more, contact office@islp.org.
ISLP is an independent and non-partisan 501(c)(3) with a Candid Platinum rating for Transparency. The non-deductible portion of each ticket is $50. Donations in lieu of attending are fully tax deductible. Many employers will match donations and event ticket purchases, allowing you to multiply the impact of your support. |
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| | ISLP Supports Civil Society Resilience in Turbulent Times
Mergers, strategic partnerships, and wind downs are increasingly on the table, as nonprofit and civil society organizations around the world adapt to new funding challenges and navigate an increasingly complex operating environment. Responding to widespread interest and need in the sector, ISLP partnered with Accountability Lab, Digital Public, and Development Gateway to to present a three-part webinar series to help demystify legal processes and provide practical guidance to enable sound planning and risk mitigation. The Mergers and Wind Downs: Practical Legal Guidance for Charitable Organizations series focused on the U.S., Kenyan, and UK contexts but covered concepts and practical guidance transferable across jurisdictions. Explaining key obligations and legal considerations, ISLP volunteers addressed governance, tax, intellectual property, labor questions and more to help management and boards identify decision and compliance points, mitigate risks, and avoid costly pitfalls. ISLP thanks our volunteers from Eversheds Sutherland, Morgan Stanley, Ashitiva Associates LLP, Waithira M & Co Advocates, Bates Wells, and Womble Bond Dickinson who shared their expertise. |
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| ISLP Helps African Countries Optimize Benefits from Mining Sector
ISLP is proud to make another contribution to the African Mining Legislation Atlas (AMLA): Toolkit for Mineral Taxation in Mining Projects. The toolkit considers recent advances in effective mining fiscal regimes and offers practical examples and innovative approaches that African countries may consider to enhance good governance and natural resource management, and optimize benefits from mining. Included is guidance on setting continental standards for maximizing government revenue from mineral resources and limiting loopholes enabling illicit financial outflows. ISLP joined the African Legal Support Facility and the World Bank for a related discussion as part of the 2025 Investing in African Mining Indaba, a major industry event held annually in South Africa. ISLP was represented by Eniye Ogbebor (Senior Legal Program Officer, ISLP), Michael Lebovitz (Partner, Eversheds Sutherland), and Dr. Zach Pouga Tinhaga (Principal, EY). ISLP thanks the project's numerous researchers and drafters, including volunteers from Eversheds Sutherland, EY, Womble Bond Dickinson, and Gibson Dunn Crutcher. The project was commissioned by the African Legal Support Facility through the African Mining Legislation Atlas initiative of the World Bank. |
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| ISLP Senior Legal Program Officer Eniye Ogbebor LLM, ACIArb (UK) addresses the 2025 Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa. |
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| | ISLP Produces Guidance on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation in Southern Africa
Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) – lawsuits designed to silence critics, often by burdening them with the cost of defending themselves – are an increasingly common route to stifle expression and intimidate journalists, activists, whistleblowers, and everyday citizens who speak out on matters of public interest. As part of ISLP’s Winfield Freedom of Expression Initiative, we are working with partners such as the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) to build defense strategies to counter this trend in Southern Africa, where most countries lack anti-SLAPP legislation. A new resource, Guidance on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) Defence in Southern Africa, aims to empower individuals and organizations targeted by such lawsuits by clearly defining their rights and available legal defenses. Expertise came from ISLP volunteer lawyers from Akin, Doughty Street Chambers, Ubunye Chambers, and 5RB. Dave Schulz of Ballard Spahr provided review. ISLP produced the guidance in partnership with MISA, with financial and technical support from Advocates for International Development's ROLE UK Programme and UKAid. |
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| | ISLP Stands Up for Land Tenure Rights
 ISLP is proud to partner in the Stand for Her Land Campaign (S4HL), a global movement to advance women’s land tenure rights around the world as part of the drive toward more inclusive and sustainable development. ISLP joined in producing “Her Land,’’ which offers insights from organisations worldwide working on women's land rights and showcases innovative approaches to combat land degradation and desertification. The publication launched at COP16 of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification held in Riyadh in December 2024. Published by the Human Development Forum, “Her Land” includes a chapter contributed by ISLP, Landesa, and S4HL coalition members the Population, Health and Environment Consortium-Ethiopia (PHE), Movement for Ecological Learning and Community Action (MELCA), and Union of Ethiopian Women and Children Association (UEWCA). Our chapter discusses the role of sustainable land management practices in securing women’s land rights in Ethiopia, highlighting the critical intersection of policy, science, and community engagement. We thank ISLP volunteers from Blakes for important legal research that informed the underlying case study.
We are grateful to Akin for hosting ISLP, Landesa, and S4HL partners for a strategy roundtable during the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The session centered the voices and perspectives of grassroots advocates to help crystallize priorities, identify practical hurdles, and share successful local approaches that have produced meaningful wins for the realization of land rights in diverse countries and settings. |
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| As we enter the final quarter of 2025, please consider supporting ISLP through a charitable monthly or one-time donation. Your financial support makes ISLP's global impact possible. |
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| | | About ISLP
The International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP) was founded in 2000 as an independent, nonpartisan, and non-governmental organization. Our mission is to mobilize pro bono legal expertise to promote the rule of law and facilitate accountable and sustainable global economic growth. ISLP is a registered 501(c)(3) and has a Candid Platinum Rating for Transparency. |
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Keynoting the Gala will be NBC News journalist Andrea Mitchell. Now NBC News’ Chief Washington and Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Mitchell has reported on the events that shape our world for more than four decades. We will also be honoring law firms and volunteers who have made ISLP’s impact possible through their generous contributions of pro bono expertise.
ISLP is proud to partner in the Stand for Her Land Campaign (S4HL), a global movement to advance women’s land tenure rights around the world as part of the drive toward more inclusive and sustainable development. ISLP joined in producing 
