About the speaker: Atanas Politov is director of PILnet’s Budapest office and is responsible for managing PILnet’s pro bono efforts. He has developed large-scale legal aid reform projects in Bosnia Herzegovina and Serbia, coordinated PILnet’s contributions to legal aid reform in other countries and has overseen the development of PILnet’s pro bono clearinghouses in China, Hungary, Russia, and globally. Politov received legal training in his native Bulgaria and worked as a staff attorney for Bulgarian Lawyers for Human Rights. He subsequently received an LL.M. from Columbia Law School and is a former Fulbright Scholar. Throughout his academic and professional career, Politov has promoted the advancement of human rights principles, most recently focusing his energy on the development of legal aid infrastructure and the promotion of pro bono practices in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Russia. He has worked with PILnet since 2002.

1. PILnet – THE LEGAL PRO BONO: THE CRADLE OF PRO BONO
Atanas Politov, Director PILnet’s Budapest office | February 23rd, 2015
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2. ABOUT PILNET
MISSION AND STRATEGY
We connect and equip lawyers to protect human
rights, advance social justice, and defend the
most vulnerable.
PILnet has two core strategies: (1) Training, supporting
and collaborating with public interest lawyers and (2)
Strengthening the global pro bono community.
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PRO BONO
PRO BONO RESOURCES
PILnet Budapest Clearinghouse Established (2006)
A CLEARINGHOUSE LINKS NGOs AND INDIVIDUALS IN NEED OF
LEGAL ASSISTANCE WITH PRO BONO LAWYERS

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PRO BONO PARTNERS
CASE STUDY: HUNGARY
• Morley Allen & Overy
• Partos & Noblet in co-operation with Hogan
Lovells International LLP
• Ormai & Partners, CMS CMS Cameron
McKenna LLP
• Hewlett-Packard Information Technology Ltd.
• HBO Europe
• GE
• KNP LAW Nagy Koppany Varga and Partners
• Siegler Weil Gotshal & Manges
• Horvath & Partners DLA Piper
• Nagy és Trócsányi
• Réczicza White & Case
• Andrékó Kinstellar
• Gide Loyrette Nouel
• Lakatos, Köves and Partners
• Knight Bird & Bird
• Squire Patton Boggs
• GSG Partners
• Banati Law Firm
• Szecskay Law Firm
• Nagy és Trócsányi

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2013 PILNET CLEARINGHOUSE OVERVIEW

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PILNET CLEARINGHOUSE MATTERS – PROGRAM RELATED

7. PRO BONO EXAMPLES I.
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HUMUSZ ALLIANCE & DLA COOPERATION
The Waste Reduction Alliance (HuMuSz) is established to investigate and monitor problems of
the waste management system in Hungary.
PRO BONO WORK:
• Re-drafting of the statute of the organization, and assistance in the related court procedure
• Created templates for Labor and Employment Contracts
• Represented the interest of the NGO in Labor Law disputes for several times
• Assistance to the NGO in complex Data Protection matters
• Counselling a business transaction by selling HUMUSZ's shares in a social enterprise
• Legal advice on various Intellectual Property Law-related matters

8. PRO BONO EXAMPLES II.
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Public Interest Litigation
1.Administrative Court Decision on School Segregation in Debrecen achieved by the Chance for Children
Foundation (2007-2009)
2.The NGO’s Compensation Claim Supported by a Business Law Firm – Morley Allen & Overy (2009-2012)
3.Wining the Case at The Hungarian Supreme Court (Curia)
4. Recruiting New Volunteer Lawyers in 2014 and forming a litigation team of 5 lawyers in order to litigate
other cases.
PREVENTING OF SEGREGATION OF ROMA KIDS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL

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PRO BONO EXAMPLES III.
RUSSIA CLEARINGHOUSE (2007)
SECURES LEGALASSISTANCE
FOR GIFT OF LIFE FOUNDATION
Gift of Life foundation helps children with cancer. Access to opioid and other anesthetics is extremely
restricted in Russia (83rd in the world). To lobby for change, they needed research and analysis on how access
is regulated in various Russian regions. PBL performed the research.

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PILNET AND PARTNER CLEARINGHOUSES (2006 – 2013)

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PILNET’S PRO BONO NETWORK

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THE PILnet FORUMS
The 2015 European Pro
Bono Forum
11-13 November
Rome, Italy
probonoforum.org/europe
The 2015 Asia Pro Bono
Forum
23-24 June
Bangkok, Thailand
probonoforum.org/asia
Pro Bono Forum of the
Americas
17-18 September
São Paulo, Brazil
Stay tuned for more
information

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BUILDING THE PRO BONO RESOURCE