I.          THE PROBLEM 

Human Rights.  Climate Change.  Migration.  War.  Many of the most pressing challenges facing the human family today are international in nature.  Their solutions will also require international legal innovation and cross-border advocacy. 

One key challenge we face in addressing the greatest challenges in the world today, however, relates to resourcing.  There simply are not enough legal professionals trained in cross-border legal innovation and advocacy to meet the needs of our time in the innovative development and implementation of legal solutions in public international law.  This is partly the result of the generally domestic nature of licensing to practice law and the consequent domestic focus of legal education.  In addition, most pro bono efforts focus on local communities in domestic legal contexts, and while this is important and badly needed work, greater insight and legal capacity are also needed in the international sphere as well.

  II.          OUR SOLUTION

The Global Pro Bono Bar Association (“The Global Pro Bono Bar”), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in the United States and with members around the world, has responded to the urgent need for training in cross-border public interest legal innovation and advocacy by developing a global public interest lawyering program (the “GPIL Program”) for dedicated legal professionals and law students interested in developing greater insight and capability in the practical aspects of international public interest lawyering.  While the focus of the GPIL Program is primarily on legal practice rather than academic engagement, participants will be provided with a high-level introduction to the topic or subtopic in public international law as a foundational framework for understanding the issues and for pursuing practical advocacy and legal innovation in the public interest. 

Lawyers from across the global legal profession—public, private, and nonprofit sectors as well as legal academia—may benefit from participation in the GPIL Program as a path toward developing their personal pro bono or public interest legal practices in public international law alongside current employment, established legal practices, or family obligations.  The Global Pro Bono Bar Association intends the GPIL Program to assist in promoting greater awareness of international law and cross-border legal challenges among domestic and international practitioners regardless of background.  We believe this development and channelling of additional capacity for change in the global legal profession is a critical step toward addressing some of the greatest legal challenges of our time.

To learn more about the GPIL Program, including how to apply, refer to the current version of the Program Overview via the link below.

20250616 GPBBA - GPIL Program Overview 2025 v12.pdf