• Project Coordinator
  Our first Project Coordinator Floris van Hees left us at the end of May. We are happy to inform you that following a thorough recruitment process we have hired Alexandra Vader – de Rooy to replace Floris as of June. We are confident that with her background as a lawyer at one of the Netherlands’ leading law firms and engagement in different aspects of the legal profession (including business development), Alexandra will be an excellent Project Coordinator and replacement for Floris.
• Project Steering Board
  The Project Board of Pro Bono Connect serves as the Project Coordinator’s first point of contact for advise and as a steering body for the activities. It can also take legally binding decisions on behalf of Pro Bono Connect. It consists of the NJCM’s executive board members: Marloes van Noorloos, Ton van den Brandt en Herman Veerbeek.
• Participating Law Firms
  Linklaters LLP is the 12th law firm to support Pro Bono Connect during its three-year pilot phase as Founding Member. We are thrilled that they have joined our efforts and welcome them to the network.
• Requests
  A constant stream of requests has found its way to Pro Bono Connect in the last months. After reviewing them, we were able to accept all but three for referral to the Founding Members. We are happy that, collectively, they were able to answer almost all of our referred cases. The requests concerned strategic litigation against privacy invasion, advice on the legality of certain fishing practices, assistance in setting up NGOs, advice on terms in cooperation agreements, advice in response to corruption, advice on government transparency, appeal in cassation advice and advice on how to deal with cash payments.
• Advisory Committee
  The Advisory Committee will act as sounding board for and supervisor of Pro Bono Connect. The Project Board has selected the following representatives from law firms and NGOs and independent individuals as members of the Advisory Committee:

Law Firms (3 seats)

First term (June 2016 – May 2018)

• A representative from De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek
• Özgür Kahale – Pro Bono Director Europe at DLA Piper
• Harald Wiersema – Nauta Dutilh

Second term (May 2018 – April 2020)

• representative from Holland Van Gijzen
• representative from Houthoff Buruma
• representative from Stibbe

NGOs (3 seats)

• Ruth Kronenburg, director, Free Press Unlimited
• Anna Timmerman, senior director, development & outreach Human Rights Watch Amsterdam
• Jasper Teulings, general counsel, Greenpeace International

Independent (3 seats)

• Dirk Steen, owner, Steen Consultancy
• Bianne McGonigle Leyh, associate professor at Utrecht University
• Elsa van de Loo, policy adviser College voor de Rechten van de Mens

We wish to thank the members of the Advisory Committee for their availability and commitment to Pro Bono Connect.

• European Forum
  We have been assisting PILnet with the European Pro Bono Forum (Amsterdam, 17-18 November). As a member of the Host Committee we have been asked to organise two workshops and are helping with speakers, local contacts and venues. We look forward to seeing many of you at the Forum.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Alexandra Vader.

Pro Bono Connect – The Public Interest Clearinghouse in the Netherlands
A project by the Dutch Section of the International Commission of Jurists
+31 (0)20 240 29 56
info@probonoconnect.nl