Pilnet

Programs: Putting new tools in the hands of public interest advocateslaw has historically been a form of state power, but today, much of that power is in the hands of private sector actors. While public interest lawyers have made great advances using law as an instrument to confront power, especially through impact litigation, corporations and wealthy individuals have benefited greatly from the use of a different set of legal skills that mitigate risks, including those posed by public interest legal strategies. Through fellowships, trainings, and student competitions, pilnet is creating a new frontline of advocates by putting new tools in the hands of public interest advocates. Pilnet's fellows program provides an opportunity for recent law graduates to work in an emerging area of public interest lawyering that takes techniques historically used to benefit a powerful few and puts them to work for the most vulnerable. The program includes experiential learning in developing transactional lawyering approaches to public interest matters, complemented by workshops and classroom-style training carried out by leading legal academics and practitioners. This program has hosted 145 fellows from 50 countries over 20 years. Pilnet's 2017 fellows class consisted of five public interest advocates from different parts of the world who joined pilnet as staff to bring pilnet's vision to life.

engaging the entire legal profession as a global networkpilnet's unique approach, which is tailored to address intractable problems resulting from globalization, complements traditional right-based strategies employed by many public interest advocates. Pilnet engages the entire legal profession as a global public interest law and pro bono network to work in longer-term collaboration with civil society to help solve systemic problems. As a strategic intermediary between the public and private sectors, pilnet carefully pairs ngos and corporate lawyers at the initial stage of an emerging concern so that trusting relationships can be developed for a longer-term benefit. Building these relationships by involving corporate lawyers in pressing legal issues on behalf of civil society is a crucial piece of the pilnet strategy: it allows ngos to not only obtain high-quality, free legal assistance when it is urgently needed, but also to become aware of the full range of specialized legal assistance they can receive from corporate lawyers, including against ongoing, and even yet to be determined, threats - ultimately leading to stronger, more resilient societies. Through its clearinghouses, annual forums, strategic convenings, and specialized projects, in 2017, pilnet assisted over 200 ngos by engaging 50 law firms to provide direct legal services valued at approximately $3,705,000. As its largest annual event, pilnet's 2017 global forum in berlin was attended by over 340 participants from the entire legal profession spanning across 48 countries.