Please note that this is a working agenda and is subject to change
Global Meeting of Law Firm Pro Bono Professionals
Hosted and supported by Bowmans
Bowmans, 22 Bree St, Cape Town
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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 Clearinghouse Professionals
Hosted and supported by Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH)
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH)
11 Buitengracht Street
Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
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 10 in Cape Town. Be part of a global pro bono network, meet other professionals, exchange ideas, and develop pro bono partnerships.
Welcome Reception
Life Grand Cafe
2 Pierhead Road, V&A Waterfront
6 to 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
Streamed online
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
12:30 pm – 1:45 pm
Lunch
1:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Building Sustainable Pro Bono Models: Cross Regional Lessons for a Changing World
Streamed online
1:45 pm – 3:15 pm
International and regional human rights mechanisms
1:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Future proofing civic space: What should lawyers and civil society organizations build now?
1:45 pm – 3:15 pm
From Hidden Barriers to Connected Justice: Building Navigable Justice Pathways
3:15 pm – 3:45 pm
Coffee Break
3:45 pm-4:45 pm
Role of regional bar associations in advancing pro bono
Streamed online
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
Strategic Litigation and Refugee Rights
Streamed online
5 pm – 6 pm
Automation and AI for Access to Justice: Practical Lessons from Real-World Examples
5 pm – 6 pm
Pro bono superior courts litigation-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
Streamed online
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 – 11 am
Coffee Break
11 am – 12 pm
Building sustainable pro bono ecosystems: lessons from practice
Streamed online
11 am – 12 pm
Externalisation & The Right to Seek Asylum
11 am – 12 pm
Advancing AI governance through people-centered justice
11 am – 12 pm
Modern War and Developments in International Law: The Catalyst of Ukraine’s Experience
12 pm – 1:15 pm
Lunch
1:15 pm – 2:45 pm
Crossing Borders, Claiming Rights: Co-Creating Pro Bono Strategies for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Migration Contexts
Streamed online
1:15 pm – 2:45 pm
Co-creating ethical practice: collaborative models for legal ethics training
1:15 pm – 2:45 pm
Funding Under Pressure: The Role of Pro Bono in CSO Financial Sustainability
1:15 pm – 2:45 pm
Stories from the Field: Practical AI Pathways for Access to Justice
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Coffee Break
3:15 pm – 4:15 pm
Beyond the margins: legal empowerment for women in vulnerability
Streamed online
3:15 pm – 4:15 pm
From clinic to court to community: building pro bono ecosystems to advance citizenship and end statelessness
3:15 pm – 4:15 pm
Climate and Environmental Justice in Motion: Live Cases & Volunteer Opportunities with PILnet
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
Starting, Sustaining and Scaling Collective Pro Bono Intiatives
Streamed online
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Pro Bono That Works: Lessons from CSOs and Communities
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Gender-Based Violence and Femicide: Justice Requires Accountability and Actionable Relief
5:30 pm – 6:15 pm
Buses to award dinners
7 pm
PILnet Global Awards Dinner and official closing of the Forum
Global Refugee Forum Legal Community Pledge Workshop
Deneys, 9th floor, 117 Strand Street,
Cape Town, 8001,
South Africa
Time: 9:30 a.m.to 12:30 p.m.
Pledge members are invited to join the 2026 Legal Community Pledge Workshop. Bringing members together in the context of the Refugee Convention’s 75th anniversary, the workshop will consist of two sessions: session one engages members in dialogue to strengthen the legal community’s response to the realities of forced displacement today, while session two, co-led by Pledge member Asia Pacific Network of Refugees (APNOR), will explore strategies to measure and increase meaningful refugee participation across legal and pro bono programming. We will be introducing Pledge members to APNOR’s Meaningful Refugee Participation Index (MRPI) and discussing its adaptability to the legal context. The workshop is made possible thanks to the generous support of Deneys and UNHCR.
Apply to join the half day workshop here.