1. Environmental Crisis Group:
The Russian Environmental Initiative seeks legal assistance to ensure that operations at a crushed stone quarry in the Republic of Bashkortostan are brought into full compliance with Russian legislation
NGO: Environmental Crisis Group
Website: https://help-eco.info/
Project: Legal assistance to the initiative group on issues of violations of environmental legislation
Jurisdiction: Russia
Legal topics: Right to a favorable environment, environmental law, licensing of mining activities
Deadline: July 31, 2025 NEW
Language: Russian
Criteria: Knowledge of environmental legislation, experience in representing the interests of initiative groups
Additional Information:
The Ecological Crisis Group (ECG) is an initiative to support environmental activists in Russia.
The objectives of the ECG are: systematic monitoring of persecution of environmentalists and environmental rights defenders in Russia, identification, analysis and presentation of the causes of persecution, development of solutions to support environmentalists and environmental rights defenders, establishment of a dialogue between civil society and government officials in solving environmental problems to prevent conflicts.
One of the cases being handled by the ECG is a request from an initiative group from a village in the Republic of Bashkortostan, concerned about work at a crushed stone quarry near the village of Yakhya.
The initiative group highlights a number of significant violations of environmental law during the development of the quarry. In particular, work is being carried out outside the site specified in the license and leased as a quarry; the licensed quarry project is located in close proximity (about 300 m) to the homes of residents of Yakhya; quarry development in 2023 began without the consent of the village residents; and others. According to the initiative group, the specified works violate a number of sanitary and epidemiological norms and rules.
Currently, ECG needs the help of pro bono lawyers to represent the interests of local residents of the village of Yakhya to bring the works at the crushed stone quarry into compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation. In particular, the following assistance is needed:
– Analysis of existing documentation;
– Consulting and development of a strategy based on the analysis of documentation and materials, including recommendations and consultations of the initiative group.
ECG is ready to work together with pro bono lawyers on the project, providing the necessary expert support.
2. Terra-HS:
Moldovan NGO needs legal assistance with the liquidation of their nonprofit
NGO: Terra-HS
Website: –
Project: Legal assistance with nonprofit liquidation
Jurisdictions: Moldova
Legal topics: Nonprofit liquidation, tax
Deadline: October, 2024
Language: Russian or English
Criteria: Knowledge of non-profit liquidation process
Additional Information:
Terra-HS was created for the sustainable development of the village of Galesti, Straseni district, Moldova. In connection with the achievement of the goal of creation, the founders of the organization decided to liquidate it. In November 2022, official information about the liquidation of the NGO was published in Monitorul Oficial (Nr 343-348 (8387-8392). However, since then the founders have no information about the current status of liquidation, as well as about the timing of completion of the liquidation process.
Currently the NGO needs legal assistance of pro bono lawyers to complete the liquidation process.
3. PILnet:
International public interest law organization seeks assistance with research on employment law to support new Global Employment Guide for nonprofit organizations
NGO: PILnet
Website: https://www.pilnet.org/
Project: Research on employment law to support a new Global Employment Guide for nonprofits
Jurisdictions: Georgia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, more information about other jurisdictions here
Legal topics: Employment law, remote work, independent consultants
Deadline: November, 2024 (flexible) Ongoing
Language: English
Criteria: Expertise in employment law, knowledge of taxation and non-profit law in relation to employment
Additional Information:
PILnet is a global non-governmental organization that creates opportunities for social change by unlocking law’s full potential. With programs in Europe & Eurasia, Asia, and at the global level, PILnet aims to reclaim and reimagine the role of law so that it works for the benefit of all.
For many employers, the pandemic and the increasing displacement of workers following events in Ukraine, Russia and Afghanistan has led to a greater diversity in types of workers and their physical location. For non-profit organizations, it can be difficult to navigate and comply with the legal framework as it applies to each of these types of workers and the different jurisdictions they work in.
PILnet is working on a project that aims to strengthen the resilience and autonomy of non-profit organizations by providing an easily accessible and user-friendly guide on employment laws in numerous jurisdictions worldwide. Currently, PILnet together with its partners have completed work on developing a questionnaire for the research and looking for pro bono lawyers to research the employment labor laws in their respective jurisdictions.
4. PILnet:
The Global Nonprofits Guide 2.0 seeks pro bono assistance with the legal research on all aspects of non-profit registration and operation in various jurisdictions
NGO: PILnet
Website: https://www.pilnet.org/
Project: Legal research on all aspects relating to non-profit registration and operation
Jurisdictions: Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, more information about jurisdictions here
Legal topics: Non-profit registration, taxation, employment law, opening an organizational bank account, non-profit reporting mechanisms
Deadline: November, 2024 (flexible) Ongoing
Language: English
Criteria: Legal expertise in non-profit entity registration, taxation, employment law
Additional Information:
DLA Piper, ECNL, and PILnet joined forces to create a Global Guide on how to set up charities around the world. It is a guide for organizations waiting to move their operations to another country or open new organizations abroad. This project aims to strengthen the resilience and autonomy of non-profit organizations by providing an easily accessible and user-friendly platform on non-profit registration.
In the beginning of March 2024, the Global Nonprofits Guide 2.0 was launched. Our cooperation with the Force for Good technical assistance team helped us to achieve greater impact and make the information more user-friendly for the end users. The Guide 2.0 also encompasses information on how to find a lawyer for to-be-registered NGO representatives and offers great resources on NGO operation.
We are currently looking for lawyers to cover more jurisdictions for the Guide. Lawyers will be asked to answer an online questionnaire to complete the research.
