<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html><head><title>International Senior Lawyers Project</title></head> <body alink="#000000" link="#000000" vlink="#000000"><center> <table width="700"><tbody><tr><td><a href="index.html"><img style="border: 0px solid ; width: 734px; height: 57px;" alt="" src="islplogo3.jpg"></a><br> <img src="banner-3.jpg" name="slide" border="0" height="163" width="734"><br> <table><tbody><tr><td><font face="Arial" size="1">Volunteer Doug Kramer in Russia </font></td><td width="100"></td><td><font face="Arial" size="1">Volunteer Steve Spronz in South Africa </font></td><td width="37"></td><td><font face="Arial" size="1">Volunteers Mo &amp; Mickey Winograd in South Africa</font></td></tr></tbody></table> </td></tr></tbody></table><table> </table><table width="740"><tbody><tr><td><a href="aboutus.html"><img src="aboutus.jpg" border="0"></a> <a href="programs.html"><img src="programs.jpg" border="0"></a> <a href="partners.html"><img src="partners.jpg" border="0"></a> <a href="volunteer.html"><img src="volunteer.jpg" border="0"></a> <a href="news.html"><img src="news.jpg" border="0"></a> <a href="contactus.html"><img src="contactus.jpg" border="0"></a> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table bgcolor="#bbbaba" width="740"><tbody><tr><td align="left" valign="top"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="French%20Web%20Page-%20A%20Propos%20de%20Nous.html"><img style="border: 0px solid ; height: 19px; width: 147px;" alt="" src="French%20Link%20Button.jpg"></a><br><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><b>Current Newsletter</b></font><br></div><a href="newsletters/2008/Summer%202008%20Final%20Draft-Smaller.pdf"><img style="border: 0px solid ; width: 146px; height: 188px;" alt="" src="current-newsletter2.jpg"></a><br><p> <a href="raq.html"><img src="request-button.jpg" border="0"></a></p><p> <a href="donate.html"><img src="donate-button.jpg" border="0"></a></p><p> <a href="funders.html"><img style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 19px;" alt="" src="funders.jpg"></a></p><p> <a href="programs.html"><img src="program-button.jpg" border="0"></a><br> <a href="humanrights.html"><img src="HR-button.jpg" border="0"></a><br> <a href="economic.html"><img src="EC-button.jpg" border="0"></a><br> <a href="justice.html"><img src="AJ-button.jpg" border="0"></a></p><p style="height: 105px;"> <a href="geography.html"><img style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 19px;" alt="" src="Where%20We%20Work%20Button.jpg"></a><br> <a href="REE.html"><img src="RE-button.jpg" border="0"></a><br> <a href="file:///M:/My%20Documents/Jesse/Website/ISLP%20Web/SubSaharanAfrica.html"><img src="SA-button.jpg" border="0"></a><br> <a href="india.html"><img style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 19px;" alt="" src="Asia-button.jpg"></a><a href="Latin%20America.html"><img style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 19px;" alt="" src="Latin%20America.jpg"></a></p><p><a href="2006%20project%20report%203%5B1%5D.12.07.pdf"><img style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 18px;" alt="" src="2006project.jpg"></a></p><p><a href="Web%20Issue%202007%20Project%20Report.pdf"><img style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 18px;" alt="" src="2007project.jpg"></a></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></td><td align="left" valign="top" width="550"><br><font face="Arial" size="4"><b> </b></font><p> <font face="Arial" size="2"> </font><font style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);" face="Arial" size="4"><b> Projects in&nbsp;</b></font><small style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><font face="Arial" size="4"><small><b><big>Sub-Saharan Africa</big></b></small></font></small></p><p style="text-align: left; font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline;"><small><font face="Arial" size="2"></font></small></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Support for Liberian Governmental and Civil Society Initiatives: </span></i></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">In the past year and a half, ISLP and its volunteers have assisted the government of Liberia in reviewing and renegotiating concession agreements that have a major impact on the Liberian economy, worked onsite with the Ministry of Justice to help build its capacity, advised the government in connection with Liberian shipping registry issues, worked with nongovernmental organizations promoting women's rights and addressing issues of justice arising out of the civil war, and assisted the Open Society Justice Initiative in monitoring the war crimes trial of Charles Taylor.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) Trade Negotiation Training Project:</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> &nbsp;</span></i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">ISLP recently completed our second annual training for the Rwandan government trade office. In partnership with ACCORD, ISLP volunteers Patrick Macrory and Stephen Lande developed and conducted a one-week trade negotiation training program in May 2007 for approximately 20 members of the Rwandan government trade office. The first ACCORD/ISLP program to train African government lawyers and other officials in international trade negotiation skills was offered in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Botswana</st1:country-region> in the spring of 2006 (followed by a similar program in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rwanda</st1:place></st1:country-region> later that year). ISLP recruited an outstanding team of highly experienced international trade negotiation lawyers from a major U.S.-based global law firm to develop the curriculum and conduct the training, together with ACCORD staff, over a one-week period. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">The Black Lawyers Association South Africa Commercial Law Education Project:</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> &nbsp;In 2003, the Black Lawyers Association (BLA) of South Africa identified a critical need for affordable commercial law training programs for black lawyers and reached out to the Senior Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association for assistance. The Senior Lawyers Division turned to the International Senior Lawyers Project. ISLP, with substantial assistance from the South African law firm, Brink Cohen Le Roux, Inc., developed a curriculum for a pilot training program and identified and selected highly experienced and qualified lawyers from the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">South Africa</st1:place></st1:country-region> to teach the course. The purpose of the program was to meet an immediate need for affordable training and mentoring in commercial law subjects for black South African lawyers, promoting the successful participation of black South African professionals in the economic and professional life of their society, as well as their development as leaders in the community. &nbsp;In 2004, ISLP co-sponsored a pilot program taught by four ISLP attorneys from the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>, assisted by a number of South African volunteer attorneys. The program was attended by approximately 30 BLA members and involved about 40 hours of instruction over an 8-week period. In 2005, an expanded 12-week, 60 hour program was presented in both <st1:city w:st="on">Johannesburg</st1:city> and <st1:city w:st="on">Durban</st1:city> by eight ISLP volunteers from the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Similar programs were offered in 2006 in <st1:city w:st="on">Johannesburg</st1:city> and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cape Town</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>In </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">February </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">2007, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">an intensive one-week program in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Dar es Salaam</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Tanzania</st1:country-region></st1:place> was added.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>The program continues under the </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">program management of ISLP volunteer</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Keith Watson </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">in July 2007 with full 12-week trainings in <st1:city w:st="on">Johannesburg</st1:city> and <st1:city w:st="on">Cape Town</st1:city> and will see the addition of a five-week pilot program in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Gaborone</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Botswana</st1:country-region></st1:place> in July and August 2007.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">&nbsp; To date, nearly 200 historically disadvantaged South African attorneys have attended the programs. &nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">African Solutions to African Problems (ASAP):</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> ASAP was founded in South Africa in 2001 to raise funds for small but effective grassroots organizations addressing the needs of women and children affected by AIDS in South Africa. ASAP identifies and partners with community-based organizations (CBOs) that have developed comprehensive strategies and solutions for assisting orphans and vulnerable children infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">South Africa</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The CBOs assisted by ASAP undertake community-based anti-poverty initiatives to provide for the care of orphaned children and to assist caregivers in skills development to enable them to meet their needs for food, shelter, health care and other necessities. The mission of ASAP is to channel resources to such CBOs to strengthen their capacity to achieve their goals. ISLP secured pro bono assistance from the <st1:state w:st="on">New York</st1:state> office of a global firm that helped ASAP establish a U.S.-based affiliate to raise funds for their South African initiatives and generate interest and support for ASAP in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>. </span></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Lightyears IP:</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> <span style="">&nbsp;</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Lightyears IP helps entrepreneurs from musicians to coffee growers in less developed countries to utilize intellectual property rights for their benefit. Working with entrepreneurs to develop and protect their products, Lightyears' legal needs are diverse within the IP area, encompassing trademarks for names, patents for inventions, and copyrights for materials. A major program to assist coffee growers in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ethiopia</st1:place></st1:country-region> received funding and approval in September 2004. ISLP recruited a prominent <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state> law firm to advise Lightyears on all its legal needs in connection with this work. </span></p> <p><st1:country-region w:st="on"><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Rwanda</span></i></b></st1:country-region><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> Power Plant Development:</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> ISLP volunteers advised the government of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Rwanda</st1:country-region> in connection with the development of a methane gas power plant on <st1:place w:st="on">Lake Kivu</st1:place>. ISLP assembled an outstanding team of volunteers consisting of two retired project finance lawyers and practicing lawyers from a major global law firm, who reviewed and commented on a number of project documents. </span></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Sao Tome and Principe Oil Exploration:</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> At the request of the Attorney General of Sao Tome and Principe (STP), ISLP provided legal counsel in connection with a review of the procedures used to award contracts for the exploration of oil in the Joint Development Zone (JDZ) off the coasts of STP and Nigeria. Three ISLP volunteers with extensive experience in energy law undertook this project. The work culminated in a report by the Attorney General reviewing in detail the 2005 bidding round for oil blocks in the JDZ and finding serious flaws in the bidding process. As a result of the investigation the Attorney General made a number of recommendations regarding future bid rounds. In addition, the Attorney General made a referral to the U.S. Department of Justice regarding possible violations of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> law.</span></p> <p> </p></td><td align="left" valign="top" width="50"> </td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p><center><font face="Arial" size="-2"> islp.org. all rights reserved. copyright 2008</font></center> </center></body></html>