International Lawyers Project

Who we are

The International Lawyers Project is a network of talented and passionate pro bono lawyers drawn from diverse countries and cultures across the globe. We mobilise teams of legal experts to support the policy and legal needs of marginalised communities, their governments, and their social movement organisations. Our client partners are civil society organisations, governments, community groups and investigative journalists.

Founded in the UK in 2005, we are staffed by a small core staff team of lawyers and thematic experts dedicated to using the law to achieve economic justice through strategic pro bono legal support. Over the last 18 years, we have supported partners in more than 100 countries.

We are proud to have a diverse staff and volunteer team reflective of the communities we support, from Africa, Asia, Europe and the USA, with extensive expertise in our focus areas as well as law and international development. We work primarily in the Global South, with active projects across Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia, as well as in Europe. As a charity, our ultimate aim is to help our clients create long-lasting change in some of the world’s poorest regions.

Our vision is a just and sustainable world in which the law serves as a tool for those who need it most.

How we use the law

Law is essential to challenging injustice and creating socially and environmentally just societies. Conversely, failing or imbalanced legal systems maintain and expand privilege, sustain impunity of powerful and malign actors, and, through corruption, illicit financial flows and environmental degradation, rob the world’s poorest of democratic accountability and the resources they need to lead flourishing lives. Through supporting strategic litigation, policy development, legislative reform, capacity training and measures for enforcement of the law, we help civic actors and movements to secure positive changes for communities and the environment.

Our Impact

For every £1 donated we provide £16 worth of pro bono legal support. This is expert advice which would otherwise be beyond the financial reach of our clients. By mobilising our global pro bono support networks, we’re able to achieve an impressive impact with a relatively small but highly nimble team.