Introduction
- Overview
- Our standards
- How we can help
- Example areas of expertise
- Type of support available
- Becoming a Development Partner
- How it works in practice
Overview
A4ID has access to over 15,000 lawyers from leading international law firms across the world. We facilitate the provision of high-quality pro bono legal advice and assistance to NGOs, IGOs, not-for-profits, developing country governments, bar associations and Law Societies, social enterprises and social entrepreneurs working to further the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals.
Our standards
We engage with lawyers who have a wide range of different skills and expertise. All the work we resource meets the highest quality standards and is done on a pro bono basis. All work carried out through A4ID is treated with the same priority as paid work: it is properly resourced and supervised, with the right mix of skills and seniority to manage and complete the work to deadline and to our Development Partners' satisfaction.
How we can help
To fall within our remit, all advice and assistance must further the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals. Examples of areas of our work can be found below. Where requests fall outside of these criteria, we will do our best to source advice with other pro bono organisations such as the Attorney General's ProBono Committee. Where a request relates to issues of UK focus, organisations such as LawWorks (http://www.lawworks.org.uk/) and the Bar Pro Bono Unit (http://www.barprobono.org.uk/) are best placed to assist.
Example Areas of Expertise
- Access to Water
- Child Rights
- Competition Regulation
- Contractual Arrangements
- Corporate Governancs
- Economic Partnership Agreements
- Education Rights
- Fair Trade
- Girls' Rights
- Governance of International Institutions
- HIV/AIDS
- Intellectual Property
- International Investment
- Labour Conditions
- Land Rights
- Legal Training
- Microfinance
- Rule of Law
- Sovereign Debt
- Tax Relief on Remittances
- Women's Rights
Type of support available
Support can be given in a number of ways. These include:
- Drafting and negotiating contracts and agreements to ensure equality of arms and protection of rights
- Providing legal research and analysis into a variety of issues such as international standards, comparative legal systems and institutions and particular points of law
- Review, commentary and drafting of proposed legislation
- Preparing legal opinions to inform policy work and reporting
- Supporting dispute resolution
- Advice and assistance in relation to a wide range of areas of law - from labour, women and childs' rights to trade, finance, real estate and commercial legal issues
In addition to facilitating the provision of legal expertise, A4ID is always keen to support the planning of policies and research projects. Should you require input from lawyers as you formulate your policy programmes or from legal academics into your research initiatives, please let us know.
A4ID can also provide in-country legal training of lawyers and community groups where there is need for external support. For further details, please contact info@a4id.org.
Becoming a Development Partner
If you would like to become a Development Partner, please contact Katie Hutt at katie.hutt@a4id.org.
As part of our due diligence process you will be asked to provide the following information:
- Aims & Objectives of your organisation/group/department
- Details of how your work contributes to achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals
- Details of your governance structure
- A copy of your latest Annual Report and last audited accounts if applicable
- A copy of your strategic plan
- Details of how you are funded
How it works in practice
Where Development Partners require assistance, we ask them to complete a standard 'Project' form (a copy of which can be downloaded using the PDF below) which gives a summary of the assistance required.
Summaries of requests for assistance are circulated to our network of lawyers every Monday. Before lawyers are able to confirm whether or not they can assist, they must carry out conflict checks to ensure that any support provided is completely independent. This can take up to a week.
Key points to be included in each summary form are as follows:
Overview
- A short description of your organisation/department.
- The background to the request in question - why is the legal advice/assistance required and how will this further the UN Millennium Development Goals?
Description of Work
- What type of assistance do you require? e.g. legal opinion, legal research, drafting, negotiation etc.
Use of Material/Advice
- How will you use the support provided? eg. to support internal know-how, to help your negotiations with partner organisations etc.
Parties
- The names of all parties involved including companies, governments and civil society organisations.
- It is very important that all parties are detailed to allow lawyers to run conflict checks.
Timescale
- Please be realistic with your deadline and give as much notice as possible. The more time allowed, the greater the chance of A4ID being able to find a lawyer for you.
- Where possible, A4ID recommends 3-4 weeks notice before work is due to commence.
Legal Team
- What type of lawyer do you require? eg. commercial practitioner, litigator etc.
- A4ID can help to complete this section
If you have any questions or would like to discuss any of the sections above, please contact Katie Hutt on 020 7816 3958 or at katie.hutt@a4id.org.
If you would like to request support from A4ID, please download a copy of our standard form below, complete it and send it to katie.hutt@a4id.org.
NB. Whilst we cannot guarantee to find a lawyer/legal team to assist you, we will do our best to place your request. If we are not able to find assistance for you, we may, subject to your prior agreement, be able to refer you to one of our partner pro bono organisations.
