7 Oct 2020 - by A4ID

5 reasons for Development Organisations to participate in A4ID’s Legal Clinic

A4ID’s Legal Clinic provides an opportunity for NGOs, international development charities, and social enterprises working in human rights or international development to discuss any legal questions or areas of potential concern with a dedicated team of lawyers from our key Legal Partners.

In a recent Legal Clinic, led by Latham & Watkins, nine of A4ID’s Development Partners participated and found it to be ‘helpful’, ‘supportive’ and ‘applicable’. The success of these Legal Clinics has been demonstrated by the overwhelmingly positive response from previous participants, 100% of whom indicated that the format of the Clinic addressed their legal needs.

Here are 5 reasons why you should attend the A4ID’s next Legal Clinic!

1. Receive Bespoke Free Legal Advice

During the Legal Clinic, each Development Partner is given a personalised face-to-face service (currently via video conferencing) by an assigned team of lawyers who address specific questions and give tailored guidance on any topics related to law and sustainable development within the context of their everyday work. This is an exciting opportunity to ask some of the day-to-day legal questions that you normally don’t have a chance to ask!

2. Identify and Discuss any Area of Potential Concern

During these face-to-face meetings, the legal team provides valuable advice to the Development Partners on their individual concerns, as well as equip them with a clearer understanding of the risks associated with their work. All the participants that attended the Legal Clinic in 2020 reported that it had helped them to identify areas of potential concern..

3. Receive Expertise on Broad Legal Issues

The Legal Clinic provides a helpful and clear format for getting legal advice on a variety of topics, including incorporation, employment, data protection, intellectual property, tax and real estate, and post-pandemic recovery, among others. The legal team has extensive experience of working with development partners, thereby their advice covers any legal issue and concern that NGOs, charities and other not-for-profit organisations working in human rights or international development might have.

4. Explore Networking Opportunities

The Legal Clinic is a dynamic and participatory event, where attendees can freely communicate with other Development Partners. This is a great opportunity to meet with legal practitioners from different specialisations and extend your network! Some of the participants from the previous Clinics reported that they received follow-up support after the event and were also invited to further programmes.

5. Deepen your Understanding

The Legal Clinic aims at building the knowledge and deepen the Development Partners’ understanding of key development issues and their legal contexts, thereby increasing their standing within the legal community and becoming more valuable to their firms.

If you are interested in joining A4ID’s next Legal Clinic, please contact us to reserve a place.