PRO BONO ITALIA'S UPCOMING EVENTS

1. WEBINAR ON THE LEGAL PRO BONO IN ITALY

On Wednesday, 19 May 2021, from 1 to 3 pm, Pro Bono Italia will hold a webinar on legal pro bono in Italy, under the patronage of the Milan and Rome Bar Councils, with the following provisional agenda:
- introductory speeches of Vinicio Nardo, President of the Milan Bar Council and Antonino Galletti, President of the Rome Bar Council;
- Marisa Meroni, member of the Milan Bar Council, on the value of pro bono for lawyers and beneficiaries;
- Giovanni Carotenuto, co-founding President of Pro Bono Italia, on the origins, role and network of our association;
- Roberto Museo, Director of CSVnet and Valentina Muglia, CILD Clearinghouse, on the activity of the Italian clearinghouse;
- Valeria Romano, Medici Senza Frontiere, with a testimony from an NGO who benefits from legal pro bono provided by Pro Bono Italia’s network of lawyers.

The event is being registered for CLE's purposes. Click here to learn more and register.

2. 38TH ITALIAN PRO BONO ROUNDTABLE AND WEBINAR ON ESG FACTORS

On Wednesday, 16 June 2021, from 1 to 3 pm, virtually hosted by Jones Day, Milan office, Pro Bono Italia will hold the 38th Italian Pro Bono Roundtable, with the following provisional agenda:
- presentation of NGOs new to our network;
- update on on-going projects;
- discussion over proposed events.

The Roundtable will then continue, from 2 to 3 pm, with a webinar jointly held by Jones Day and DLA Piper’s lawyers, on ESG factors, specifically addressed to non-profits, with the following agenda:
- Patrizia Gioiosa, Jones Day, on the impact of ESG factors in the Covid-19 context, how the pandemic has accelerated the attention towards ESG issues and how sustainable investments can foster environmental and social change;
- Fiorenza Marin and Martina Antoniutti, DLA Piper, on sustainable investments, related tools and legal aspects.

The event is being registered for CLE's purposes. Click here to learn more and register.

PRO BONO ITALIA'S NEW MEMBER

Please join us in welcoming our new member: Latham & Watkins, Milan office. As of today, Pro Bono Italia counts 35 members. Thinking of joining us? Get in touch!

PRO BONO ITALIA'S NEW WEBSITE

Take a look at our brand new website, which includes - in the homepage - a video-tutorial on what is pro bono, how to file a pro bono request, the role of the clearinghouses, how to join Pro Bono Italia and/or its network, etc. Enjoy it!

A virtual platform for handling pro bono requests is in the process of being built. More details to follow.

EUROPEAN PRO BONO ALLIANCE'S MEETING

On Thursday, 25 March 2021, Pro Bono Italia attended the online meeting of the European Pro Bono Alliance ("EPBA"), an informal gathering of clearinghouses and pro bono associations active in Europe and abroad, promoted by PILnet (Public Interest Law Network). The meeting’s agenda included an assessment on the activities performed by EPBA’s members in 2020, a discussion over 2021's priorities, as well as an exchange of ideas and sharing of information about pro bono initiatives throughout Europe and beyond, with a focus on technology solutions currently being considered/implemented by some members in Europe.

PRO BONO ITALIA SIGNED THE AARHUS DECLARATION

EU is currently amending the Regulation 1367/2006 ("Aarhus Regulation"), which is supposed to implement Article 9(3) of the UNECE Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters ("Aarhus Convention") by allowing NGOs to request review of EU administrative decisions that breach environmental law.

However, there seems to be reluctance among EU institutions to bring the EU properly into compliance with the Aarhus Convention.

In this respect, Pro Bono Italia has recently signed a Declaration, promoted by ClientEarth, aimed at showing that there is wide-spread support for EU compliance with the Aarhus Convention among the legal community at large, and not just among NGOs.

Legal practitioners and academics are hence invited to sign the above Declaration, possibly before 30 March. If you would like to add your name to the Declaration, please contact Anne Friel at afriel@clientearth.org.

OUR PARTNERS' INITIATIVE: SKILLSBUILD (IBM)

IBM's Corporate Social Responsibility wishes to reach as many people in need as possible seeking employment, who can benefit from free access to the SkillsBuild, a digital portal created by IBM for those who need to train or retrain to access job opportunities (even without experience) in the IT labour market.

If you wish to know more and/or register to SkillsBuild, click here.

PRO BONO ITALIA'S MEMBERSHIP FEE FOR 2021

Our membership fee for 2021 can now be paid. Each member has already been emailed with the exact amount thereof, to be paid onto Pro Bono Italia's bank account (IBAN code: IT32O0301503200000003611624; SWIFT: UNCRITMM). For more information, please email segretario@probonoitalia.org.

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