For the over 100 million people who have been forced to flee their homes and the millions more who are stateless today, even accessing the most basic of rights can be a challenge.
- The law is a key to unlock rights – such as education, employment, health care and freedom of movement.
- The law is a key to unlock justice – when refugees and others forcibly displaced have suffered harm or violations of their rights.
- The law is a key to unlock solutions – through the recognition of nationality, legal identity or protected status and the granting of legal pathways to protection for those at risk.
But many forcibly displaced people frequently live outside the protection of the law and cannot secure essential legal information and assistance to access rights, justice and solutions.
PILnet works to address this by connecting actors, building collaborations, and advancing refugee rights pro bono. As a global leader on refugee rights pro bono, PILnet uses its unique role to transform the way refugee rights pro bono is envisaged and delivered so it reaches and empowers the communities and organizations that need it.
As the coordinator of a joint legal community pledge made by over 100 legal actors at the 2019 Global Refugee Forum, PILnet seeks to mobilize legal actors globally and promote refugee rights pro bono which is integrated into and supportive of a wider legal ecosystem that recognizes, nurtures and centers the legal needs, rights, and skills of refugees and other people on the move.
Are you a local organization, refugee-led organization, or legal service provider that supports refugees and others forcibly displaced? PILnet can help you to find free legal help by matching your request with a suitable legal provider. Assistance is available for individual matters (referred via an organization), organizational matters, legal training, or legal research.
We only take requests from organizations working with refugees, refugee-led organizations, or legal service providers. We can only accept support for individual matters if these are referred via an organization.
We cannot help refugees or other individuals, unless referred to us by one of the organizations listed above. If you are an asylum-seeker, refugee or stateless person in need of legal assistance, please see the country pages of UNHCR’s help platform or AMERA’s Rights in Exile Programme.
In times of crisis, PILnet partners with members of the legal community to develop resources to support the legal needs of those displaced and the organizations that support them. This includes country information fact sheets for individuals seeking refuge from Ukraine or legal pathways for Afghans. PILnet also provides resources for civil society organizations, including on sanction regimes, and in navigating non-profit laws in other countries. Check out these resources below:
Establishing and implementing a successful refugee rights pro bono project depends on a number of factors. To help organizations navigate this, we have developed a series of Refugee Rights Pro bono Tools aimed at providing legal and civil society actors with tips and guidance on how to scope and implement successful pro bono projects that harness lasting partnerships.
Eligibility
Are you eligible for pro bono assistance? Check the flowchart outlining the legal help-seeking process.
Process Flowchart
Types of Assistance
Looking for ideas on what kind of legal assistance our network of pro bono lawyers can provide? Check out the menu.
Menu of Options
The Guide
Need more information? This Guide provides detailed information on project background, scope, and protocols, and more.
Matching Guide
Top Tips for Law Firms
How can law firms develop a successful pro bono project? Learn how to design and implement one with these Top Tips.
Top Tips
Tipos de Servicios
[En español] ¿Está buscando ideas sobre qué tipo de asistencia legal puede brindarle nuestra red de abogados pro bono? Consulta el menú.
Menú de servicios pro bono
Top Tips for NGOs
How can NGO's develop a successful pro bono project? Check out the toolkit
Tips for NGOs