Please note that this is a working agenda and is subject to change
Global Meeting of Law Firm Pro Bono Professionals
Bowmans 22 Bree St, Cape Town
Time TBC
This in-person-only gathering is a joint initiative of the Association of Pro Bono Counsel (APBCo), the Australian Community of Pro Bono Lawyers (ACPL), the European Pro Bono Initiative (EPBI) and the UK Collaborative Plan for Pro Bono (UKCP). The day will provide a unique opportunity for pro bono practitioners within law firms around the world to meaningfully connect with each other, exchange best practice, share innovative ideas and strategies, and delve into critical conversation on some of the most complex challenges confronting our sector.
Global Meeting of Clearing House Professionals
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH)
Time TBC
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Join us at the Joint Meeting of Pro Bono Clearinghouse Professionals, In-house Counsel, and Law Firm Pro Bono
Professionals on November 11 in Rome. Be part of a global pro bono network, meet other professionals, exchange ideas, and develop pro bono partnerships.
Global Meeting of In-house Legal Professionals
Venue and time TBC
Join other in-house legal professionals from South Africa and around the world, where we will discuss common challenges facing in-house pro bono, showcase successful pro bono partnerships, learn from other jurisdictions, and network with in-house colleagues.
Welcome Reception
Life Grand Cafe
2 Pierhead Road, V&A Waterfront
6-10 p.m.
8 am – 9 am
Registration
9 am – 11 am
Plenary
11 am – 11:30 am
Coffee Break
11:30 am-12:30 pm
The power of pro bono to make the justice system more just
11:30 am -12:30 pm
Celebrate pro bono! Pro bono weeks, recognition lists and awards
11:30 am -12:30 pm
From paper to practice: the legal community and the refugee convention at 75
11:30 am -12:30 pm
Safeguarding civic space in the digital era: legal responses to shrinking digital space and surveillance in Africa
12:30 pm – 13:45 pm
Lunch
12:30 pm – 13:45 pm
Justice at work: closing the gap between rights and reality for refugee workers
1:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Building sustainable pro bono models: cross regional lessons for a changing world
1:45 pm – 3:15 pm
International and regional human rights mechanisms
1:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Civic space and the role of lawyers in democratic backsliding
1:45 pm – 3:15 pm
From fragmentation to flow: Building connected justice systems for the underserved
3:15 pm – 3:45 pm
Coffee Break
3:45 pm-4:45 pm
Role of regional bar associations in advancing pro bono
3:45 pm-4:45 pm
Sexual corruption: The hidden currency of power
3:45 pm-4:45 pm
Legal lifelines for media in exile: From risk anticipation to sustainable operations
3:45 pm-4:45 pm
The role of pro bono in ensuring a just and equitable energy transition in Africa
4:45 pm – 5 pm
Break
5 pm – 6 pm
U.S. immigration litigation: Advocacy and strategic litigation in a shrinking protection space
5 pm – 6 pm
AI and access to justice: practical use cases workshop
5 pm – 6 pm
Pro bono superior courts ltigation-Experiences from Brazil and Colombia
5 pm – 6 pm
Indigenous rights, resource governance, and the just energy transition in Southern Africa
8 am – 9 am
Registration
9 am – 10:30 am
Pro bono declaration for Africa: strengthening regional commitments to pro bono legal practice
9 am – 10:30 am
Children's rights session—YEXL simulation with Baker McKenzie
9 am – 10:30 am
Supporting civil society under threat
9 am – 10:30 am
The role of private sector lawyering in advancing constitutional rights: a South African case study
10:30 am
Coffee Break
11 am – 12 pm
Building sustainable pro bono ecosystems: lessons from practice
11 am – 12 pm
The right to seek asylum & safe third country and other transfer agreements
11 am – 12 pm
Advancing AI governance through people-centered justice
11 am – 12 pm
Guarding the scales: upholding due process for POWs and civilian detainees during armed conflict
12 pm – 1:15 pm
Lunch
1:15 pm – 2:45
Crossing borders, claiming rights: co-creating pro bono strategies for sexual and reproductive health and rights in migration contexts
1:15 pm – 2:45 pm
Co-creating ethical practice: collaborative models for legal ethics training
1:15 pm – 2:45 pm
The role of pro bono in strengthening civic space: How corporate banking and finance skills can expand funding options for civi society.
1:15 pm – 2:45 pm
Inplementing generative AI responsibly in pro bono legal services and building practical AI pathways for pro bono and access to justice
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Coffee Break
3:15 – 4:15
Beyond the margins: legal empowerment for women in vulnerability
3:15 pm – 4:15 pm
Beyond the margins: legal empowerment for women in vulnerability
3:15-4:15
from clinic to court to community: building pro bono ecosystems to advance citizenship and end statelessness
3:15 pm – 4:15 pm
Pro bono collaborations colab
3:15 pm – 4:15 pm
Beyond legal precedent: changing culture in restrictive countries
4:15 pm – 4:30 pm
Break
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Advancing citizenship and digital identity through legal empowerment in fragile contexts & designing rights-based digital identiy systems: a legal strategy lab on preventing statelessness
4:3 pm – 5:30 pm
On gender-based violence and femicide: advancing justice through accountability and actionable relieve
5:30 pm – 6:15 pm
Busses to award dinners
7 pm