PILnet

06/01/2026

Have you heard of SLAPPs?

Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation are a growing tool used by powerful corporations and individuals to silence anyone who speaks out in the public interest. Journalists. Activists. Whistleblowers. Everyday people standing up for what's right.

As proud members of The Coalition against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE), a partnership of NGOs united against this threat to democratic discourse and civic freedom, we are sharing this powerful video by Greenpeace International, featuring Javier Bardem and Yasmin Finney.

This video captures exactly why this fight matters and why the stakes have never been higher. We encourage everyone in our network to watch it, share it, and stand with those being targeted for telling the truth.

Link to video:

THEY WANT US SILENT. We’re turning up the volume. 🔊Corporate bull...

05/30/2026

Don't miss out on the Eurasia Pro Bono Week 2026!

From June 2–4, we invite lawyers, law students, universities, NGOs, bar associations, and academics from across Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Belarus, Russia, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan to come together and explore the future of pro bono and access to justice in the region.

This year’s program features three online sessions dedicated to different aspects of pro bono collaboration in Eurasia. One bilingual (English/Russian) session will focus on building sustainable partnerships between bar associations, law firms, universities, and NGOs, including cooperation on cross-border cases and protection of vulnerable groups. Another session, in Russian, will offer practical guidance for civil society organizations on accessing high-quality legal support through pro bono work, from day-to-day advice to strategic litigation and will showcase successful NGO–law firm partnerships.

Find out more and register today:

This year, the Eurasia Pro Bono Week will be held from June 2 to June 4, 2026. The event is a platform to connect lawyers, law students and universities, nonprofit and charitable organizations, bar associations, and academics for a discussion on:

05/29/2026

Don't miss out on the Eurasia Pro Bono Week 2026!

Starting on June 2–4, we invite lawyers, law students, universities, NGOs, bar associations, and academics from across Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Belarus, Russia, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan to come together and explore the future of pro bono and access to justice in the region.

This year’s program features three online sessions dedicated to different aspects of pro bono collaboration in Eurasia. One bilingual (English/Russian) session will focus on building sustainable partnerships between bar associations, law firms, universities, and NGOs, including cooperation on cross-border cases and protection of vulnerable groups. Another session, in Russian, will offer practical guidance for civil society organizations on accessing high-quality legal support through pro bono work, from day-to-day advice to strategic litigation and will showcase successful NGO–law firm partnerships.

Find out more and register today:

This year, the Eurasia Pro Bono Week will be held from June 2 to June 4, 2026. The event is a platform to connect lawyers, law students and universities, nonprofit and charitable organizations, bar associations, and academics for a discussion on:

05/28/2026

Across Europe, minority-led civil society organisations are doing vital work, often in the face of shrinking civic space, rising harassment, and weaponised bureaucracy.

PILnet is proud to have been a core partner in the MARIO programme, working alongside Minority Rights Group to support 90 grassroots CSOs defending EU values across 11 countries: Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovenia.

Our role focused on building the legal capacity of these organisations, providing pro bono legal support through our global network, training on EU mechanisms and institutions, and connecting CSOs with legal experts through our Clearinghouse. Together, we helped organisations not just survive, but strengthen their advocacy and expand their reach.

Minority Rights Group has now published an impact report reflecting on the programme offering a nuanced snapshot of grassroots minority rights activism in Europe today, including 12 case studies from partner organisations on the ground.

We encourage everyone working in civil society, human rights, and EU policy to read it.

Read the full report: https://minorityrights.org/resources/mario-reflections/

05/26/2026

Running an NGO, nonprofit, or social enterprise in Hong Kong comes with real legal complexity and most organisations navigate it without dedicated legal support.

That's why PILnet has developed a suite of free, practical legal resources specifically for Hong Kong's civil society, created in partnership with leading law firms and professional services firms.

📄 NDA Template (with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP)
Protect your organisation when sharing confidential information with partners, contractors, volunteers, or suppliers. Ready to use in English and Chinese, with built-in drafting guidance. Access via this link: https://www.pilnet.org/resource/non-disclosure-agreement-template-for-hong-kong-csos/

📘 Section 88 Tax Exemption Guide (with EY)
Understand the compliance requirements for maintaining your charitable tax exemption status under Hong Kong's Inland Revenue Ordinance and the conditions that determine whether your income qualifies for exemption. Access via this link: https://www.pilnet.org/resource/charities-in-hong-kong-88-tax-exemption-status-and-related-matters/

📋 Employment Manual (with Johnson Stokes & Master)
A comprehensive guide to employment law for social purpose organisations, covering your legal obligations to staff, volunteers, interns, and contractors, with template documents included. Access via this link: https://www.pilnet.org/resource/employment-manual/

All resources are free, available in English and Chinese, and designed to be used without a legal team.

Employment Manual for Hong Kong Social Purpose Organizations (Second Edition) Many social purpose organizations (SPOs) – including NGOs, non-profits and social enterprises – work on a shoestring budget and rely on a wide variety of workers to deliver their mission. These workers may be interns, ...

05/25/2026

Running a nonprofit in Belgium or thinking about setting one up?

Join PILnet, EY Law, and Pro Publico for a free webinar on June 9 as part of European Pro Bono Week 2026. Designed for foreign organisations operating in Belgium, the session will cover everything from annual accounts and budgets to key filing obligations in plain, practical terms.

Two expert speakers with over 30 years of combined experience in Belgian nonprofit law will be on hand to answer your questions directly.

📅 June 9, 2026 | 3:00 PM CEST | Free

Register here 👉 https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__ernB4u3Rcit2KbAqmCqVA #/registration

05/22/2026

We need your help!

PILnet and International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) are planning a global workshop for lawyers on how to support civil society organisations in complex legal and political environments and we want to make sure it's built around what you actually need.

If you're a legal professional, please take 2 minutes to complete this short survey. The session is planned for this July and open to lawyers worldwide.

Survey link 👉 https://app.endatix.com/share/1489612424918073344

Please share with any lawyers in your network who might be interested!

05/21/2026

Присоединяйтесь к Евразийской Pro Bono неделе 2026!

Со 2 по 4 июня мы приглашаем юристов, студентов юридических факультетов, университеты, НКО, коллегии адвокатов из Армении, Казахстана, Кыргызстана, Таджикистана, Беларуси, России, Монголии и Узбекистана обсудить будущее pro bono и доступ к правосудию в регионе.
В программе — три онлайн-сессии, посвященные различным аспектам pro bono сотрудничества в Евразии. Одна из них (на английском и русском языках) будет сфокусирована на развитии устойчивых партнерств между коллегиями адвокатов, юридическими фирмами, университетами и НКО, включая работу по трансграничным делам и защиту уязвимых групп. Другая сессия (на русском языке) представит практические рекомендации для НКО по получению качественной юридической помощи через pro bono от повседневных консультаций до стратегических судебных дел — и успешные примеры сотрудничества НКО и юридических фирм.

Подробнее о событии и регистрация

Евразийская Неделя Pro Bono объединяет участников из Евразии, заинтересованных в развитии про боно деятельности.

05/20/2026

!

The Environmental and Climate Justice Pro Bono Pitching Roundtable is just around the corner on June 1, 2026.

This isn't just a networking event, it's a structured, facilitated space where NGOs and law firms sit down to turn ideas into actionable pro bono partnerships. Based on our past events, many of these conversations evolve into long-term relationships addressing complex legal needs.

Register to pitch or partner: https://shorturl.at/rfbDn

05/19/2026

Social purpose organizations (SPOs) handle sensitive information every day; from beneficiary or donor details, intellectual property, trade secrets, strategic plans, and more. Yet many SPOs lack the legal tools to properly protect this confidential information when working with third parties such as partners, contractors, suppliers, or volunteers.

We've teamed up with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP to create a free non-disclosure agreement (NDA) template, designed specifically for civil society organizations in Hong Kong. This NDA is a practical tool to help you establish clear boundaries around how your confidential information can be used and disclosed.
The template is flexible and can be tailored to your unique situation because one size doesn't fit all.

Link: https://www.pilnet.org/resource/non-disclosure-agreement-template-for-hong-kong-csos/

Chinese translation below

民間社會組織每日都需要處理敏感資訊，包括受益人或捐款者的資料、知識產權、商業機密、策略發展規劃等等。然而，很多民間社會組織在與合作夥伴、承包商、供應商或志願者等第三方合作時，缺乏法律工具來妥善保護這些保密信息。

我們與Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP 合作，準備了一份專為香港民間社會組織而設的免費非披露協議 (NDA) 範本。這是一份實用文件，可協助您明確界定保密信息的使用和披露方式。

此範本具備靈活性，可根據您的具體情況進行調整——畢竟沒有萬能的解決方案。https://www.pilnet.org/resource/non-disclosure-agreement-template-for-hong-kong-csos/

NDA template for Hong Kong CSOs Civil society organizations (“CSOs”), including non-governmental organizations, non-profit organizations, and social enterprises, routinely share confidential information with a variety of third parties, such as partners, suppliers, contractors and volunteers. Suc...