ABA’s Partnership With CLDP
The American Bar Association Senior Lawyers Division, Business Law Section, and Section of International Law developed a partnership with the U.S. Dept. of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program [CLDP] to provide members with pro bono international legal opportunities. CLDP, a program of the DOC’s General Counsel’s Office, provides technical legal (commercial law) assistance to requesting foreign countries (primarily developing and post-conflict). Given that many ABA lawyers often have substantial expertise in a variety of legal fields—the ABA has developed a process to provide pro bono opportunities to its members on CLDP projects. Many interesting and challenging international commercial law assignments, employing ABA members’ extensive expertise, are available. Contact: Bob Lutz with cover letter and CV, if interested.
Two wonderful new pro bono opportunities – see below:
Develop a ports act for the island country of Maldives
[Involves review of island nations’ ports acts in collaboration with CLDP staff, distillation of key policy options, meeting on biweekly basis remotely with reps from port authority, AG, and President’s office, PLUS visit to Maldives in coming months to conduct a several day drafting session with key governmental and port authority officials.]
Where? Island nation of the Republic of Maldives.
- CLDP covers pro bono participants’ expenses
- Economy class airfare, lodging, transportation, and per diem
When? Immediately with collaboration with CLDP staff, and with travel to Malé, Maldives, in August (or later) for drafting session.
Working with Belarus’ ExPat Businesses (ABBA)
What? CLDP is working with the Association of Belarusian Businesses Abroad (ABBA) that’s an industry advocacy organization representing Belarusian businesses based outside of Belarus. Its focus is on promoting Belarusian national culture and identity and growing a network of businesses and entrepreneurs committed to those concepts and to the ideals of democracy, rule of law, fairness, and private enterprise.
Program focus: building ABBA’s profile as a representative of Belarusian democratic movement’s private sector by holding business forums and events, developing an effective organizational strategic plan, and becoming more focused on understanding and addressing member needs, especially identifying ways that ABBA can act as a key component in ensuring members and the broader Belarusian expat business community are aware of existing sanctions and do not intentionally or inadvertently evade them.
Need: An attorney interested in meeting with ABBA and CLDP to discuss how ABBA can promote sanctions compliance amongst its membership, including a possible compliance oversight mechanism or a model compliance program that ABBA can share with its members to implement in their businesses. A lawyer with sanctions and trade compliance experience.
Also need attorneys with industry advocacy, lobbying, and/or non-profit groups to act as a temporary mentor or coach to ABBA.
Where? Contact with ABBA is made remotely and in-person outside of Belarus, not in Belarus.
When?
- For sanctions compliance program—requires several meetings with ABBA over course of next 3-4 months of about 1-2 hrs each; total of 8 hours.
- For organizational improvement aspect, need lawyer doing 1-2 hr meetings with ABBA once/month over approximately 4-6 months.
If interested in either or both of these opportunities, immediately send cover letter PLUS resume to: Robert E. Lutz, [email protected]
If you have any questions, please contact Bob at (213) 610-4850 (Pacific Time) or email.