DRC (Congo) – In this country where rape is endemic, human rights lawyer Sabine Michaud of Montreal assisted and trained lawyers at a grassroots, Goma-based NGO that  represents women and children in the local courts who are victims of sexual violence.

Cambodia – In 2011 ISLP sent Kirkland & Ellis partner Binta Brown to Phnom Penh to work with a coalition of women's rights NGOs preparing a shadow report for the UN CEDAW Committee.

Peru – ISLP freedom of expression lawyers responded to an NGO's request for help after rural radio stations that criticized the Peruvian government were shut down under the pretext of administrative technicalities.

Ministry-level Support in Liberia

In 2011 volunteer Jeannie Austin continued ISLP's assistance to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare as it works to build the legislative and regulatory foundations of the health sector.  Ms. Austin worked with the Ministry's General Counsel on its efforts to undertake a wholesale revision of the country's public health law.  

Also in 2011, Hogan Lovells partners Bob Leibenluft and Phil Katz spent a week in Monrovia to meet with Ministry officials and other stakeholders to plan for the revision of the Public Health Act and the promulgation of regulations related to pharmaceuticals. Additional ISLP volunteers will be deployed in  2012 to continue advancing this project. (See box below for more details). 

Since 2007, now-retired Blake's partner James Dube has traveled annually to Liberia to provide counsel to the Ministry of Justice regarding international contracts. <READ MORE>

Law Firms Provide Key Research on Human Rights 

In addition to on-site work, ISLP solicits the assitance of law firms to provide vital  research and analysis  support for our partners and volunteers.  For example:

A Chinese NGO - the first multi-field, multi-sector network specializing in domestic violence against women in China - requested ISLP's assistance with its efforts to conduct a comparative study of domestic violence laws to help it produce and promote a draft of China’s first domestic violence law in recent years. A team of attorneys from the New York office of McDermott Will & Emery produced an extensive research report comparing domestic violence legislation and case law in six countries.  

A multi-office Clifford Chance team helped a Peruvian NGO prepare a petition to the Intra-American Commission and Latham & Watkins provided support to a Haitian human rights NGO with an election-related analysis and memo.

A team of lawyers from the French firm Gide Loyrette Nouel prepared a memorandum analyzing burdens of proof for crime victims who are Civil Plaintiffs (parties civiles) in a Civil Code Criminal Procedure for use by an NGO in the Congo respresenting victims of rape.

Skadden Arps assembled a multi-office team to assist NGO Inclusion International with its efforts to pursue effective implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in connection with its guarantee of access to education for the intellectually disabled.