A4ID was delighted to host in conjunction with PwC, Business Action for Africa and DFID an event entitled "Private Practice, Public Benefit" on 22nd September. Over 60 members of A4ID and Business Fights Poverty as well as representatives from our legal and development partners heard speeches from Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, the head of profession at DFID's Private Sector Development Team, Angus Kirk, a solicitor at CA Legal, Jeremy Connick, a partner at Clifford Chance, and Joss Saunders, head of legal at Oxfam GB.

Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi opened the evening, outlining her hopes for better engagement with the legal profession. DFID launched its Private Sector Strategy in January and has engaged with businesses previously for a number of years yet has never fully engaged with the legal profession. Mavis confirmed her intention that the event be a start of a 'fruitful dialogue' as to both how the legal sector can strategically work with development agencies to innovatively promote private sector development, and, how lawyers can use their core business to secure development outcomes.

Mavis emphasised the importance of the legal profession's contribution to development through a variety of illustrations. For example, she explained that it takes on average 4 years and 60% of the value of a claim for contractual enforcement in Bangladesh noting that local lawyers would therefore appreciate the skills and resources A4ID aims to share. On the other hand, she also highlighted the problems that can be created in a regulatory environment through a lack of understanding as to how the local law works. Business laws in Afghanistan for example have been amended five times by five different sets of lawyers from five different legal jurisdictions - none of them taking into account the supremacy of Afghan traditional law. An understanding of the local regulatory environment she noted, is fundamental.

With DFID's Private Sector Development strategy focusing on the importance of growth leading to development, Mavis envisaged a potential partnership with the legal profession to bring about the development of competition in emerging and undeveloped markets. This would be achieved only through legal and regulatory reform.

Mavis also spoke about the government's Business Call to Action strategy, where companies are encouraged to use their core businesses to promote the development agenda, for instance by opening new offices in developing countries and training local people. She highlighted the success of Coca Cola's distribution network in this respect - initially supporting the emergence of more than 2,000 SMEs and the creation of over 8,000 jobs but resulting in a multiplier effect with greatly increased numbers of businesses and jobs created thereafter. Mavis challenged the legal profession to consider what can legal practitioners do in terms of directing their core businesses towards the development agenda.

Angus Kirk of CA Legal - a corporate law firm specialising in emerging markets and international development - highlighted the relationship between the rule of law and development. He started by stating the rule of law's importance in providing a framework for achieving human security, in defining the role of the state and the relationship between the state and its citizens and in providing the rules for economic activity and a framework for human rights. On this basis, without the rule of law, development cannot be realised. Angus emphasised the role of lawyers and the rule of law in bringing about private sector development: ensuring that private sector activities are robustly regulated and transparent.

Joss Saunders, a third of Oxfam International's legal team, opened with a short film showing the effect of private sector initiatives in improving the lives of people in developing countries using milk distribution in Honduras as an example. He then discussed three areas where use of law has aided development: land law, where access to good title and knowledge of the laws enabled people in Mali and Uganda to set up businesses securely; tax law, citing the example of Unilever, which has paid 30% of its profits in Indonesia to the government in corporation taxes, enabling economic development and growth; and, intellectual property law, showing the importance of protection of renewable energies and technology in areas such as climate change.

The final speaker was Jeremy Connick, head of Clifford Chance's Africa group. Clifford Chance is currently pursuing a strategy of partnering with local law firms in Africa in order to share know-how and expertise, work on deals together and arrange secondments. The policy is aimed to give Clifford Chance the ability to work well in Africa whilst promoting the work of African firms. Jeremy also made the point that in many developing countries, politics can undermine the work that lawyers do, overruling legal rules and documents.

Chaired by Christ Frost of PwC, the speakers then took part in a panel discussion and answered questions from the audience covering topics raised in the speeches. These ranged from the expertise developed country lawyers could offer to foreign jurisdictions, to whether corporate lawyers would feasibly suggest to their clients' that they should seek to maximise their corporate tax payable to developing country governments (as advocated by Joss).

On Tuesday 19th May 2009 Professor Rorden Wilkinson invited members of the Trade and Investment working group to take part in 'The Simulation Exercise'.

The simulation explored the issues at stake and uncovered the manner in which trade bargaining has occurred by replicating the dynamics of the negotiations during a WTO ministerial meeting. The simulation showed within the context of global agricultural trade the distortion that has been both a convenience and a hindrance to a multiplicity of nations.

Depending on the economy, politics, allies and simply the disproportional representation of each of the negotiating bodies, it became clear to see the imbalance in 'bargaining power'. To increase coalition, Rorden suggested that states with similar profiles share similar interests, so more often than not tend to dominate the trade discussion.  

This event was followed by a Q&A session and drinks reception all kindly hosted by White & Case LLP

On Monday 18th May 2009 an A4ID team participated in the 5th London Legal Sponsored Walk. Alongside over 4000 walkers from City law firms, chambers, law schools, government, in-house legal departments and the Judiciary we raised over £380,000 for London's legal support charities.

Our team raised over £450 so many thanks for your support!

On 18 March 2009, Michael Woolcock, Professor of Social Science and Development Policy at the University of Manchester, Research Director of the Brooks World Poverty Institute and a lecturer on A4ID's Annual Law and Development Training Programme, spoke at an A4ID event on 'An Introduction to Law and Development'.

Michael Woolcock explained the dynamics of the particular groups (Bilateral/Multilateral Agencies, NGO's, Foundations and Governments) debating on world poverty and the common imperatives and the solution-oriented approach to each complex development crisis. This was demonstrated with an assessment of the relationship between increasing world population and productivity over the last five centuries.

The emphasis was on building the rule of law internationally. The law and development argument has been analyzed by a 3 waves theory. The first wave occurred in the 60's/70's and saw a transplanting of western legal systems throughout the developing world. The second wave in the 80's/90's was a technocratic approach which essentially relied on policy reform and increasing government accountability. The third wave demands revision of the approaches to law and development.

Michael argued that the approach must be context specific as law is not a movable technical apparatus. Law is a set of institutions deeply embedded in particular political, economic and social settings. Having consideration for complex political transitions within their individual social contexts is more likely to lead to positive social change.

Michael's talk ended with a Q&A session and drinks reception, all kindly hosted by Linklaters LLP.

On 5 March 2009, Rorden Wilkinson, Professor of International Political Economy Head of the Centre for International Politics, and Fellow of the Brooks World Poverty Institute at the University of Manchester spoke at a Trade and Investment Working Group event on 'Beyond the Doha Round'.

Rorden Wilkinson explored the factors that challenge us to think about a radical reformation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and encouraged members of the working group to analyse various methods of producing substantive development outcomes. His conclusion of reformation came from evaluating the detrimental affect that occurred as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) became the WTO. This process, he argues, has hindered the developing world's access to global markets.

He drew attention to the failure of the 'Doha Round' and the consequences this had on developing nation's trade bargaining.  The Doha 'Development' Round has been deemed to be a disaster as the trade negotiations have unbalanced representation and subsequently the decisions have more often than not been in the favour of those nations with the most delegates. The emphasis in this lecture was on the WTO activity ignoring such imbalances thus contributing directly to disadvantaging developing nations.

The trade agenda is still dominated by the issues of growing economic importance to the lead industrial states; investment, competition policy, government procurement and e-commerce. The contention occurs when developing nations are locked into these commitments even though the development beyond the production of agricultural goods, raw materials and semi-manufacture, low technology goods will be stifled. This results in increasing restrictions to market entry that Rorden has urged radical reformation of the WTO to take place.  

Rorden's talk was shown to be quite controversial as the Q&A session led on to a lively debate followed by a drinks reception, all kindly hosted by White & Case LLP.

On 19th February 2009, Dr Emilios Avgouleas spoke at an A4ID event kindly hosted by Weil, Gotshal & Manges and organised by the Debt & Finance Working Group.  Dr Avgouleas argued that at the Washington Financial Summit Declaration the G20 countries visibly failed to provide a clear and imaginative road map for the construction of a global system of financial regulation that would also facilitate development finance flows.

This lecture cast a critical eye on the causes of the global financial crisis. Dr Avgouleas argued that the only way to rehabilitate global finance and vest it with new international legitimacy is to bind it closely together with ethical investment practices and development finance.

He suggested a clear and market-oriented framework for the reconstruction of global financial regulation. The proposed framework not only safeguards the objectives of investor/depositor protection and of systemic stability but also binds the creative/destructive forces of global finance into a framework that fosters development finance flows and facilitates poverty eradication.

Treasury Solicitors Department

A4ID was invited by the Government Legal Service pro bono group to give a short presentation about our work and how government lawyers can get involved in international pro bono.

The Governance Club is seeking to establish a UK-based network of organisations and individuals working in the international governance field. The focus of the Governance Club includes issues affecting development and social justice in developing countries and transitional democracies.

The launch of the Governance Club took place on 22 July, 2008, 6.30-8.30pm at the law firm of Norton Rose, 3 More London Riverside SE1 2AQ.  Representatives from a number of organisations and members of A4ID took part in the meeting.

On 17th October 2007, the three core legal institutions of England and Wales, The Bar Council, ILEX and the Law Society came together through A4ID to declare their support for the UN Millennium Campaign's Stand Up Speak Out initiative.

Stand Up Speak Out is an opportunity for thousands of people around the world to pledge their support to the UN Millennium Development Goals and to call for an end to world poverty.

This momentous occasion reflected a partnership spanning all areas of legal theory and practice. Also committing their support were lawyers from Bar Human Rights, Bar Pro Bono Unit, BPP, College of Law, LawWorks, Law Society of Holborn & Westminster, Ministry of Justice, Queen Mary Student Pro Bono Group, UCL Law Society and the UNA-UK's Young Professionals Network.

A4ID would like to thank everyone for their support and for contributing to the 2007 world record. We look forward to seeing you again next year.

On 11th October 2007, A4ID celebrated its first birthday at the offices of Clifford Chance.

The keynote speech was given by Lord Bingham of Cornhill. Lord Bingham was joined by Roger Leese of A4ID, Filippo Addarii, Head of ACEVO's International Programme, Ime Asanga, Executive Secretary of ACEVO Nigeria, Matt Gearing, Partner at Allen & Overy LLP and Afua Hirsch of Doughty Street Chambers. Each praised the work of A4ID and called on more lawyers to get involved.

A4ID would like to take this opportunity to thank all of its speakers and to Clifford Chance for hosting.  Special thanks is also extended to ACEVO, Challenges Worldwide, ChildHope, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Minority Rights Group International, Plan International, Oxfam and War on Want for exhibiting examples of their work.

The World Bank's Justice for the Poor (J4P) programme aims to enhance legal empowerment for some of the world's poorest people in Africa and Asia.

On 31st July 2007 at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP's offices in London, J4P Justice Sector specialist Daniel Adler provided an overview of the global programme with special reference to work in Cambodia on land, labour and local governance.

More details about J4P can be found at: www.worldbank.org/justiceforthepoor

On 26th June 2007, A4ID had the honour of winning the prestigious "Pro Bono Team of the Year" Award.

The Board of Trustees of A4ID would like to take this opportunity to express our many thanks to our supporter firms and individual members for all their hard work. This award is a credit to you all for having dedicated so much time, effort and resources to make A4ID such a great success.

Well done!

Last year thousands of lawyers from City law firms, chambers, law schools, government, the judiciary and in-house legal departments joined to raise £100,000 for London's legal advice charities.

A team of people from A4ID and the legal community took part to help raise money for A4ID and the London Legal Support Trust.

A4ID members helped to raise almost £400.  Well done to those of you that took part.

On Thursday 19th April 2007, Salil Shetty, the director of the UN Millennium Campaign at the UNDP, spoke exclusively to A4ID about the UN Millennium Development Goals and how lawyers can assist in their achievement.

The event was hosted by  Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP.

On Wednesday 11th October 2006 A4ID launched officially.  More than 500 people attended the event from all areas of the legal profession.  The keynote speech was given by the former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith who praised the work of A4ID and called on lawyers to use their skills to engage in international pro bono.  Speeches were also given by Paul Cook, Head of Policy at Tearfund, Safora Syed, a barrister involved in Project Advocate, and representatives of A4ID's board of directors about A4ID's work, its aims and objectives.

As a result of this successful and enjoyable launch A4ID has had a surge of interest from lawyers and NGO's alike.  Thank you everyone for your support!