ABOUT US

The Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, operating as a global pro bono law firm providing free legal assistance to developing states and sub-state entities involved in conflicts. To facilitate the utilization of this legal assistance, PILPG also provides policy formulation advice and training on matters related to conflict resolution. To date, PILPG has advised over a dozen countries on the legal aspects of peace negotiations and constitution-drafting, and over fifteen countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa concerning fundamental questions of public international law. PILPG was nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

PILPG promotes the utilization of international law as an alternative to violent conflict or other destabilizing means for resolving international disputes. To accomplish this objective, PILPG provides legal counsel to states during peace negotiations, advises on the creation and operation of tribunals for the prosecution of war crimes, assists states with drafting constitutions, runs negotiation simulations, publishes field reports concerning ongoing or potential conflicts, and convenes expert roundtables to identify points of conflict and potential solutions.

The four primary practice areas of PILPG are Peacebuilding, International Justice, Post-Conflict Political Development, and Public International Law. To provide pro bono legal advice and policy formulation expertise, PILPG relies almost exclusively on volunteer legal assistance from more than sixty former international lawyers, diplomats, and foreign relations experts, as well as pro bono assistance from major international law firms. Annually, PILPG provides over $2 million in pro bono legal assistance.

Because of its diverse network of volunteers, PILPG is able to maintain volunteer points of contact in London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, Boston, Rome, The Hague, Stockholm, Brussels, Kabul, Nairobi, and Seattle. From 1996 to 1998 PILPG operated under the auspices of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In July 1999, the United Nations granted official Non-Governmental Organization status to PILPG. In 2005, PILPG was nominated by a half dozen of its former pro bono clients for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Letter from the PILPG Managing Board