End Poverty

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”.

View by Legal Need
Advocacy/Legislation (3) Consultation (9) Contracts (3) Corporate Formation (4) Corporate Governance (1) Employment/Labor (1) Finance/Fundraising (1) Intellectual Property (4) Nonprofit Formation (3) Real Estate (1) Research (3) Tax (5) Tax Exempt/Nonprofit (5)

Digest |  View All

FreeFrom

Research on Legislation Involving Financial Security for Victims of Gender-Based Violence

Summary:

Assist a non-profit that supports victims of gender-based violence by conducting research on legislation related to survivor financial security.

Referred by:

  • Anonymous Collaborator
Jurisdictions: All States Excluding: AK; NV; NC; WA; WI
About the Organization: FreeFrom creates pathways to financial security and long-term safety for survivors of gender-based violence.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):End Poverty, Gender Equality, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

FreeFrom has compiled a National Survivor Financial Security Policy Map and Scorecard, an online tool that measures how well (and not so well) states have prioritized survivor financial security in their laws. They are now seeking assistance conducting research to find state-level legislation related to survivor financial security that has been introduced in the last two years.

They’d love to have the research completed by August 31, 2022 if possible. This could be a great project for summer associates! Freefrom needs assistance in 45 states. Attorneys can pick the jurisdictions they’d like to cover.

Ask About a Matter
,
FreeFrom

Research on Legislation Impacting Victims of Gender-Based Violence

Summary:

Assist a non-profit that supports victims of gender-based violence by conducting research on legislation impacting survivors.

Referred by:

  • Anonymous Collaborator
Jurisdictions: AL; AK; AR; CA; CO; DE; DC; FL; GA; HI; ID; IN; IA; KS; KY; LA; ME; MD; MI; MS; NV; NH; NM; NC; ND; OH; OK; OR; SC; SD; VT; VA; WV; WI
About the Organization: FreeFrom creates pathways to financial security and long-term safety for survivors of gender-based violence.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):End Poverty, Gender Equality, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

Last year, FreeFrom launched their National Survivor Financial Security Policy Map and Scorecard, an online tool that measures how well (and not so well) states have prioritized survivor financial security in their laws.

Over this next year, they are working to make sure each state’s scorecard is up to date and plan to add more policy categories. This project will be 2-fold 1) checking for any changes in the state’s respective laws based on the current policy categories and 2) conducting research for each state for each new policy category.

They’d love to have the research completed by August 31, 2022 if possible. This could be a great project for summer associates! Freefrom needs assistance in 30 states. Attorneys can pick the jurisdictions they’d like to cover.

Ask About a Matter
,
Grassland Cameroon

Guidance on Entity Structure

Summary:

Assist a social enterprise supporting female farmers by providing guidance on entity structure.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: DE
About the Organization: Grassland Cameroon (“Grassland”) produces cornmeal porridge sourced from female smallholder farmers in Cameroon, whom they finance with farm inputs each planting season.
Legal Entity Type: For-profit
SDG(s):Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Good Health and Well Being, Reduced Inequalities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Zero Hunger
Legal Issue(s):

Grassland Cameroon plans to incorporate an entity in the US (likely Delaware) to facilitate fundraising. They are seeking assistance determining how best to structure their entities to be as tax and operationally efficient as possible.

Ask About a Matter
, ,
Sustainable Innovations

Draft Template Licensing Agreement

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit providing job opportunities for women, as well as healthcare services in vulnerable communities, by drafting a template licensing agreement.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: US
About the Organization: Sustainable Innovations is a non-profit that employs innovations in technology, science and economics to build social enterprises that are holistically sustainable. Once such enterprise is Care on the Move, a program that equips women in vulnerable communities with portable AI-driven technology that allows them to provide healthcare services.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Gender Equality, Good Health and Well Being
Legal Issue(s):

Sustainable Innovations would like to license their technology, including the Care on the Move platform, to other non-profits. They are seeking assistance drafting a template licensing agreement that protects their intellectual property.

Ask About a Matter
,
Elpida Social Capital

Consultation on Tax Implications of Anonymous Wealth Transfer Platform

Summary:

Provide a tax consultation to a financial education startup dedicated to closing the racial wealth gap.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S. (headquartered in VA)
About the Organization: Elpida Social Capital (“Elpida”) is a financial education firm dedicated to closing the racial wealth gap by using financial and social capital to invest in historically marginalized communities.
Legal Entity Type: For-profit
SDG(s):End Poverty, Good Health and Well Being, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

Last year, the team at Elpida launched the Black Student Debt Freedom (BSDF) fund in an effort to crowdfund and pay off black students’ education loans. They are now in the process of transitioning the BSDF fund into an anonymous wealth transfer platform called Jubilant Circle, which aims to close the racial wealth gap by paying off student loans, facilitating asset transfers, and offering culturally appropriate financial coaching. The Elpida team is seeking a consultation to discuss a few discrete questions about the tax implications of running Jubilant Circle.

Ask About a Matter
,