PILPG Update
Profiled in the Legal Times
September 12, 2005

The Legal Times recently profiled the Pubic International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) in a special report highlighting the pro bono efforts of select Washington, D.C. based organizations and law firms. The article focused on PILPG's global pro bono practice which has provided legal counsel to more than a dozen countries on the legal aspects of peace negotiations and constitution drafting, as well as fifteen countries on issues concerning the protection of human rights, self-determination, and the prosecution of war crimes.

The article discussed PILPG's ability to quickly deploy lawyers to assist countries during peace negotiations, such as during the Dayton and Rambouillet negotiations, and to deploy experts to assist with post-conflict constitution drafting, such as Iraq. The article also highlighted PILPG's new program to provide assistance with entities filing complaints with the International Criminal Court, and its continuing assistance to the Rwanda and Sierra Leone Tribunals, and the Iraqi Special tribunal.

The article is attached, and can be accessed at http://www.pilpg.org/publications/reports/legaltimes.pdf

In the News
PILPG recently has also been active providing media and commentary on the Iraqi Constitutional process:

Boston Globe, "Iraq's Political Compact," op-ed by Paul Williams, August 13, 2005 http://www.pilpg.org/publications/editorials/iraqcompact.html http://www.pilpg.org/publications/editorials/iraqcompact.html

NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, September 2, 2005:http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec05/iraq_8-29.html

Washington Journal on CSPAN, guest – Paul Williams, August 24, 2005: http://tinyurl.com/cj5oe

NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, guest - Paul Williams, August 22, 2005.

"Iraq Constitution-Making: What Happens Now?" Event at the United States Institute for Peace, panelist – Paul Williams, August 23, 2005 , for more info: http://tinyurl.com/bddu7

Fox News Live with Martha MacCallum, guest - Vanessa Jimenez, August 31, 2005.

Al Hurra, guest – Paul Williams, August 26, 2005.

Assisting Iraq's Government Draft a New Constitution: Paul Williams interviewed by Steve Wermiel, American University Washington College of Law, for more info: http://wcl.american.edu/podcast/audio/20050830_WCL_Williams.mp3

About the Public International Law & Policy Group
Nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) is a global, pro bono law firm providing free legal assistance to governments and states involved in conflicts. To facilitate use of this legal assistance, PILPG also provides policy formation advice and training on matters related to conflict resolution.

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 is able to provide over $2 million worth of pro bono international legal services.

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. In July 1999, the United Nations granted official Non-Governmental Organization status to PILPG.