Just and Accountable Development 2014 Annual Report & 2015 Review 38 COUNTRIES ISLP at Work 3 170 PROJECTS Letter from the Co-Presidents 4 Letter from the Executive Director 5 Natural Resources 6 Vulnerable Communities 6 Case Study: Kenya’s Kerio Valley 7 Investment, Trade & Tax 8 Economic & Social Development 8 Case Study: Liberia Boosts Small Businesses 9 Strengthening Media Freedoms 10 Supporting Civil Society 11 Law Firms and Barristers’ 57 Chambers Partnerships 12 LAW FIRMS Awards & Publications 12 Volunteers 13 10 LANGUAGES Donors 14 Financial Statements 14 Board of Directors and Staff 15 22,000 Law Firm Donors 16 PRO BONO HOURS 2 A GLOBAL IMPACT ISLP at Work ISLP’s mission is to foster just and accountable development which is sustainable, supportive of human rights, and strengthens the rule of law, by mobilizing our unique network of highly skilled and experienced pro bono lawyers to advise civil society and governments. NATURAL VULNERABLE CIVIL SOCIETY 25 RESOURCES COMMUNITIES SPACE COUNTRIES WITH ONSITE MISSIONS ECONOMIC ANTI- INVESTMENT, & SOCIAL CORRUPTION TRADE & TAX $9.5m DEVELOPMENT IN DONATED SERVICES 3 LETTERS Letter from the “ We cannot thank enough those of our many friends for generously Letter from the providing the financial, service, and moral support to permit us to Co-Presidents realize our dream.” Co-Presidents Dear Friends, would have worked in some 60 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe; and that we would have a widely–recognized record As the 2014 Annual Report goes to press, ISLP has completed a comprehensive strategic of significant accomplishment. review and growth assessment and has laid plans for the future direction of the organization with renewed emphasis on those areas of focus as to which we have unique We could not have achieved this without the dedicated support and commitment of a capacity and the potential for significant impact. With this now behind us, we have remarkable group of volunteer lawyers prepared to go anywhere in the world, often on determined that it is time for us to step down as Co-Presidents and to commence the short notice; our energetic ISLP Board and staff; the generosity of a number of private process of turning the oversight of the organization over to the next generation of Board foundations, institutional funders, lawyers, and other individual donors; and the public overseers. The long-term health and sustainability of the organization requires nothing spiritedness of our many law firm partners. less. In this we are most fortunate to have as our immediate successors Joe Bell and Lucy While all of these supporters have been critical to our success, we feel compelled to Reed, as the new Chair and Vice-Chair, respectively, effective September 1, 2015. single out for special mention the Open Society Foundations, through the good offices It is hard to believe that almost 15 years have gone by since the two of us sat down for of George Soros and Aryeh Neier. At a time when ISLP was little more than a gleam in our lunch in downtown Washington and conceived of the concept of an international legal eyes, they recognized that our concept had the potential to make a difference and got pro bono organization of highly qualified volunteer lawyers to address global economic behind us with the significant financial support that was essential to the implementation development and human rights matters. While we had great aspirations and of our plan. That support has continued under the leadership of Chris Stone. expectations, we could not have imagined that within a relatively few years we would It has been a great privilege, and most personally rewarding, for the two of us to serve have in place an organization with a true international footprint; with volunteer lawyers as the Co-Presidents of this remarkable organization . We cannot thank enough those of from around the globe; that we would maintain offices in New York and London; that we our many friends previously mentioned for generously providing the financial, service, and moral support to permit us to realize our dream. Although we are stepping down from our present positions, we do not say farewell. We will continue to provide such assistance to the new leadership as they may request and thereby attempt to contribute to the future growth and success of ISLP. Anthony F. Essaye Robert H. Kapp 4 LETTERS LetterLetter from from the the “ A simple strategy of leveling access to expertise on both sides of the table can produce outcomes that are sustainable, supportive ExecutiveCo-Presidents Director of human rights, and strengthen the rule of law.” Dear Friends, Looking forward, our board and staff have worked hard to refine and sharpen our strategy. In consultation with a broad range of As we prepare to celebrate ISLP’s 15th anniversary, let us look back on stakeholders, including clients, partners, and funders, we are deep- what we have accomplished so far and set our sights on future goals. ening our focus on a targeted set of critical areas where we believe Under Bob Kapp and Tony Essaye’s inspirational leadership, ISLP has we can best contribute to just and accountable development. become a leader in the field of international pro bono. Quietly, they led With this focus to guide our efforts, ISLP will continue to forge new a revolution in our thinking of how pro bono can be used. Their deep ground for pro bono, helping our clients address problems where legal experience provided a rich understanding of the possibilities for a lack of access to legal expertise is itself an underlying cause of building on and going beyond traditional pro bono work to utilize the the problem. We demonstrate daily that the seemingly simple strat- full range of legal capacities to meet the legal needs of civil society, egy of providing civil society and developing country governments communities, and developing countries. This added transactional, ongoing and in-country access to highly skilled lawyers can produce tax, intellectual property, and administrative law expertise and highly better development outcomes–outcomes that promote economic specialized sector experience—health, trade, natural resources, land Garth Meintjes well-being, support human rights, and enhance the rule of law. use, environment, and governance—to the pro bono tool chest. Executive Director This report provides examples of how ISLP is building on the revolu- A critical part of ISLP’s contribution is the identification of those tion that Tony and Bob started. Their inspiration drives our search opportunities and clients where assistance is most needed and for more innovative ways of using pro bono resources to make a most likely to make a difference. This essential part of the ISLP difference. ISLP is truly a “virtual” global law firm—working with process depends upon its skilled and dedicated staff, who develop more than 85 countries—that provides expertise in all the difficult projects and recruit the experts necessary to address the complex dimensions of just and accountable development. legal needs of our clients. We do this in collaboration with key part- ners, local and international, who provide vital understanding of the Best wishes, local context and broader policy considerations. Projects are often multiple years in duration. We have been in Liberia since 2006. Our southern African commercial law training programs date to 2003. Garth Meintjes Susan Hazledine Executive Director Director, ISLP-UK 5 JUST AND ACCOUNTABLE DEVELOPMENT Natural Resources Vulnerable Communities Top-level pro bono support for transparent, accountable, and Helping local communities acquire a seat at the table where fair natural resource use and management in emerging markets development decisions are made Economic growth is stymied in many African countries when their officials Large-scale development, whether it’s mining, logging, or commercial farm- are not able to produce the policies, laws, and contracts necessary to ing, is an inherently high-impact activity—affecting physical environments successfully manage their natural assets. This is why and where ISLP has and local communities. Issues such as land rights, access to clean water, and focused its work for 15 years, providing governments with urgently needed impacts on traditional livelihoods quickly come into play. Done responsibly, technical assistance, training, support in drafting laws, regulations, and resource development can generate a range of benefits. Many developing- policy, and direct assistance with the negotiation of major natural resource country communities welcome these opportunities, but only if their “free, agreements. prior, and informed consent” is obtained. In Liberia, ISLP-aided natural resource contracts have helped establish As communities increasingly see their lands and resources targeted for critical benefit streams such as tax revenue, jobs, infrastructure, and large-scale development, they urgently need access to the same high-level improvements in labor and safety standards for local workers. legal support utilized by the corporations and governments initiating these projects. ISLP delivers this assistance directly and early in the project plan- In Malawi and Guinea, mining ministries received specialized fiscal and ning process, before loss of lands and livelihoods occurs. Access to ISLP technical assistance and training impacting their countries’ most valuable lawyers “levels the playing field,” creating space for communities, companies,