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Climate Action

Please Treat the Information in the Digest as Confidential. Do Not Circulate Outside of the Lex Mundi Network.

If you are interested in a matter, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing Isis Bous and Allison Laubach through the “Ask About This Matter” button on the details page or directly (ibous@lexmundiprobono.org; alaubach@lexmundiprobono.org) and let us know which project(s) interests you. We will place matches with Lex Mundi member firms on a first-come, first-served basis.

You can view all matter summaries on the “Digest” page(s). To view matters by legal need, select the category of interest. See details of individual matters via the “Read More” link in a matter. To view all details of all available matters, choose “View All”.

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Consultation (5) Contracts (2) Data Privacy (1) Employment/Labor (1) Finance/Fundraising (2) Intellectual Property (3) Nonprofit Formation (1) Regulatory (2) Research (1) Tax Exempt/Nonprofit (2)

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SXD Inc.

Consultation on Fundraising Round

Summary:

Assist a social impact organization reducing waste in the fashion industry by providing a consultation on their next fundraising round.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: SXD is a New York design-tech startup charting a radical new standard: eliminate material waste with great design and bleeding-edge technology. The fashion and apparel industry wastes 92 million tons of fabric material every year. SXD’s mission is to bring such material waste down to zero while reducing CO2 emissions, preserving water, reducing material consumption, and empowering workers.
Legal Entity Type: For-profit
SDG(s):Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Good Health and Well Being, Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Reduced Inequalities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Sustainable Cities and Communities
Legal Issue(s):

The SXD team plans to engage in a fundraising round for the first time since 2022. They are seeking a comprehensive consultation with an attorney to discuss what steps they need to take/what documentation they need to have in place before engaging in this fundraising round.

They still have the contracts/documentation from the last fundraising round (including the SAFE agreement) and plan to pull the information together themselves. Afterwards, they would greatly appreciate assistance reviewing the contracts/documentation to ensure that it complies with applicable law and covers their needs. However, this is a secondary request.

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SXD Inc.

Consultation on Expanding Patent

Summary:

Assist a social impact organization reducing waste in the fashion industry by providing a consultation on expanding their patent.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: SXD is a New York design-tech startup charting a radical new standard: eliminate material waste with great design and bleeding-edge technology. The fashion and apparel industry wastes 92 million tons of fabric material every year. SXD’s mission is to bring such material waste down to zero while reducing CO2 emissions, preserving water, reducing material consumption, and empowering workers.
Legal Entity Type: For-profit
SDG(s):Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Good Health and Well Being, Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Reduced Inequalities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Sustainable Cities and Communities
Legal Issue(s):

The SXD team is in the process of securing a patent. It has been published on the USPTO website, and they are currently responding to Office Actions. The SXD team is now considering expanding the patent into adjacent categories, such as sheet metal, automotive, home goods, and potentially more (ideally before the current patent is approved). They are seeking a comprehensive consultation to discuss how best to expand the patent, what the process would look like, and whether it makes sense to do so at this time.

They received pro bono assistance drafting the provisional patent. However, they couldn’t afford US rates for continued work and have been working with a firm in India on a paid basis. They would greatly appreciate guidance from a U.S.-based attorney on this next step.

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Consultation Corral

Answer Three Discrete Questions Around Tribal Consultations

Summary:

Assist a team creating an online platform where tribal leaders and Native advocates can access Tribal Consultation opportunity information in real time by answering three discrete questions around Tribal Consultations.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: Corral is an online platform where tribal leaders and Native advocates can access Tribal Consultation opportunity information in real time. Their process automates the work of tribal governments and Native-led advocacy organizations to pull together tribal consultation opportunities. Corral is an open-government project geared at making Tribal Consultation communication and existing data work for tribal communities. Corral is available to staff and elected officials of Tribal Nations at no cost.
Legal Entity Type: Unregistered
  • Visit Consultation Corral
SDG(s):Affordable and Clean Energy, Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action, Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Gender Equality, Good Health and Well Being, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure, Life Below Water (conservation and sustainability), Life on Land (sustainability of ecosystems), Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, Reduced Inequalities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Zero Hunger
Legal Issue(s):

The team at Corral would love to have a conversation with a lawyer working with Tribal Nation clients to learn how they prepare clients for responding to and participating in Tribal Consultations. They have three discrete questions:

  1. How do your clients typically learn about Tribal Consultation opportunities? Is it through ‘Dear Tribal Leader’ letters, professional networks, or something else?
  2. If you identify these opportunities, how do you search the Federal Register and agency websites for this information?
  3. What general advice do you have for tribes without legal representation for approaching Tribal Consultation opportunities with the federal government? With states?
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Catalyst 2030/Catalyst NOW

Provide Consultation on Strategy to Register Trademarks Internationally

Summary:

Assist a global movement working to achieve the UN SDGs by 2030 by providing a consultation to discuss a strategy for registering trademarks in the U.S. and internationally.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: Catalyst 2030 is a global movement of people and organizations committed to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 through impactful social innovation initiatives. It was launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2020 and was co-founded by members of Ashoka, Echoing Green, the Schwab Foundation, and the Skoll Foundation.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Affordable and Clean Energy, Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action, Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Gender Equality, Good Health and Well Being, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure, Life Below Water (conservation and sustainability), Life on Land (sustainability of ecosystems), Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Zero Hunger
Legal Issue(s):

Catalyst 2030 is currently rebranding and renaming the organization “Catalyst NOW.” As such, they need to register trademarks for their new name and logo. They would like to start in the U.S., and then register their trademarks internationally. The key regions include the Americas (in particular the United States and Latin America), the Asia-Pacific and MENA region (APAC), the United Kingdom, and the European Union.

They are seeking a consultation with an IP attorney to discuss a strategy for registering internationally. The Catalyst team is currently working with a firm to incorporate and file for 501(c)(3) status in the U.S. Once the entity is established, they will also need help registering the U.S. trademark. However, this is a secondary request.

 

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Land Use Atlas, Inc.

Research on Zoning Laws

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit democratizing information hidden within zoning codes by conducting research on zoning laws.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: All States Except (CT, GA, HI, ME, NH, PA, RI)
About the Organization: Land Use Atlas is a nonprofit working to digitize, demystify, and democratize information currently hidden within zoning codes. Their flagship project, the National Zoning Atlas (NZA), is a multi-institutional research collaboration centralizing data about zoning – the most important power of American local government, and the little-understood force shaping our lives. Their online interactive map exposes how thousands of communities use zoning – long a tool for racial and economic segregation – to shape housing choices, health outcomes, transportation patterns, environmental degradation, and climate response, among other things.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Climate Action, Life on Land (sustainability of ecosystems), Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities
Legal Issue(s):

The Land Use Atlas team is seeking volunteers to research/contribute information about whether jurisdictions have zoning. The volunteers will review jurisdictions’ websites and ordinances, contact jurisdictions when needed (including submitting public information requests), identify the existence of zoning codes, and extract zoning codes. The President of Land Use Atlas is an attorney and a professor at Cornell Law School. The Land Use Atlas team will provide detailed written instructions and guidance. They are also available to facilitate webinar trainings for groups of volunteers.

 

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