About the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA)

Established in 2014, the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA) is a feminist pan-African organisation focused on the strategic litigation of women’s human rights and sexual rights both at national levels and within the African human rights system. Our work is based on the belief that strategic litigation is an immensely powerful tool for social change because it helps to reframe the understanding of entitlements before the law and challenges the legal discourse. ISLA seeks to gain ground by creating domestic and regional jurisprudence in women’s human rights and sexual rights; strengthening the capacity of litigators and NGOs on the continent; and conducting rigorous research.

About the Feminist Litigation Network (FLN)

At its core, the FLN invests in both people and institutions. It strengthens feminist lawyers’ ability to litigate from a feminist perspective while simultaneously supporting civil-society organisations to institutionalise strategic litigation as a permanent function within their structures. The model is grounded in partnership, co-creation, and mutual accountability, recognising that effective strategic litigation is inseparable from the social movements it seeks to serve. The FLN connects lawyers, organisations, and movements across the continent, fostering a shared feminist legal praxis that integrates theory, strategy, and lived experience. Through sustained collaboration, mentoring, and peer learning, the FLN works to ensure that strategic litigation is complemented by advocacy, research, and movement-building so that legal victories translate into lasting social change.

Operating Environment

The FLN operates within a challenging socio-political environment marked by shrinking civic space, backlash against gender and sexuality rights, and limited feminist leadership within legal institutions. Despite these barriers, it has succeeded in cultivating a sense of belonging and purpose among feminist lawyers, supporting the development of strategic cases before national and regional courts, and strengthening the leadership of partner organisations. The FLN benefits from ISLA’s feminist and Pan-African grounding, its reflective learning culture, and the trust of long-standing donors such as the Ford Foundation, Novo, AWDF, and FJS. Together, these enable the FLN to pursue its vision of an Africa where strong feminist movements and empowered lawyers work collectively to challenge discrimination, build jurisprudence, and make strategic litigation a viable social movement tool for women’s human rights.

The Four Pillars of the FLN

• Institutional Strengthening – Focused on civil society organisations (CSOs), this pillar supports the establishment and sustainability of effective Strategic Litigation Units. It mobilises institutional leadership and management commitment to embed feminist litigation into organisational practice, creating an enabling environment for feminist lawyers to engage in strategic litigation.
• Capacity Strengthening – Centred on the Network Lawyers, this pillar provides sustained support for the use of feminist approaches in strategic litigation. It builds knowledge, skills, and confidence among feminist lawyers to develop and litigate cases on women’s human rights.
• Network Development – This pillar builds the FLN as a coalition of feminist litigators, CSOs, and movements. By facilitating collaboration and collective action, it ensures that litigation is embedded in, and accountable to, social movements working on the issues linked to ISLA’s thematic areas.
• Relationship Management – This pillar sustains and deepens relationships with past, present, and potential partners. Through processes like supervision, joint planning, and reporting, it strengthens thematic, institutional, and litigation capabilities across the Network and reinforces solidarity and trust.

Together, these four pillars enable the FLN to contribute meaningfully to ISLA’s strategic goals: developing progressive jurisprudence, creating enabling environments for strategic litigation, and strengthening civil society to withstand backlash and maximise opportunities for advancing rights.

FLN in Francophone West Africa (FWA)

In Francophone West Africa, the FLN is being implemented through a re-imagined model that responds to the realities of civil-law systems. The FLN in FWA model was first piloted in Burkina Faso through collaboration with Voix des Femmes (VDF), which serves as a local coordinating partner. Building on the lessons from this pilot, the FLN is now expanding to identify partners across FWA.

The Collaborative Legal Ecosystem

This approach establishes a collaborative legal ecosystem made up of:

• Local coordinating partners – National organisations that identify, assess, and manage strategic litigation cases and relationships.
• Practising lawyers and law firms – Legal professionals who litigate cases aligned with feminist and human-rights principles.
• Advisory panel of experts – Individuals who provide technical guidance, procedural support, and review of pleadings to strengthen the quality and coherence of strategic litigation.

Objectives of FLN–FWA

• Develop feminist jurisprudence that deepens the interpretation and protection of women’s human rights.
• Build a pool of lawyers and experts who integrate feminist and equality-based values into legal practice and collaborate with movements.
• Strengthen institutional capacity to coordinate and sustain strategic litigation in restrictive legal environments.

Challenges We Are Responding To

Implementation of the FLN in FWA has revealed two principal challenges.

First, regulatory barriers within civil-law systems restrict the ability of non-governmental organisations to litigate directly and limit how lawyers may collaborate with them. Bar-association rules generally require lawyers to practise through private firms to maintain active professional status, creating structural separation between civil-society actors and the legal profession and reducing opportunities for coordinated strategic litigation.

Second, institutional capacity gaps. Many partner institutions lack the internal systems and structures needed to manage or coordinate litigation effectively. While several organisations provide legal aid or community-based support, few have dedicated strategic-litigation functions, tools for case development, and case-sourcing frameworks.

Strengthening these institutional capacities is therefore central to the re-imagined FLN in FWA model and to ensuring that strategic litigation can be sustained and accountable within restrictive legal environments.

Purpose of the Call

The purpose of this call is to identify organisations and individuals who will form part of the FLN in FWA. Specifically, the call seeks to identify:

• Case Collaboration Partners – Lawyers that can take up strategic litigation cases within the domestic courts and African human rights systems.
• Experts – Individuals with demonstrated expertise in law and human rights law who will provide technical input and advise on practices and procedures in their respective jurisdictions.

Application for Case Collaboration Partners (Individual Lawyers and Law Firms)

Background

Case Collaboration Partners are practising lawyers and law firms that will take on or support strategic litigation under the FLN in FWA. They will work in partnership with local coordinating partners, experts, and ISLA to develop and litigate cases that advance women’s human rights and equality within civil-law systems.

Role and Responsibilities

• Litigate cases identified and coordinated through the FLN–FWA framework.
• Engage in case development with local coordinating partners, experts, and ISLA.
• Prepare and file pleadings, ensuring they reflect feminist and human-rights principles.
• Participate in review and reflection processes to strengthen the quality of strategic litigation.
• Work collaboratively with local coordinating partners to ensure accountability, client care, and alignment with broader advocacy goals.

Eligibility Criteria

• Licensed and in good standing with the relevant Bar Association in an FWA country.
• Experience in human-rights, constitutional, or public-interest litigation.
• Demonstrated commitment to gender equality and social justice.
• Willingness to collaborate with local coordinating partners, experts, and ISLA.
• Capacity to dedicate time to case development and litigation within the FLN in FWA framework.

Application for Experts and Advisors (Panel of Experts)

Background

The Panel of Experts will support the FLN in FWA by providing legal and strategic expertise to strengthen the quality, coherence, and feminist framing of strategic litigation in FWA. The Panel draws on ISLA’s model of expert engagement and is a key mechanism for ensuring that case development and litigation processes in FWA reflect feminist values, procedural integrity, and movement-based strategies. Experts will work closely with ISLA and local coordinating partners to review legal cases, advise on feminist framing and procedural compliance, and contribute to the development of feminist and human-rights jurisprudence in civil-law contexts.

Role and Responsibilities

• Review and advise on litigation in line with the FLN in FWA’s case development plans.
• Provide strategic and procedural guidance on proposed cases, both prior to filing and during court proceedings.
• Review pleadings and exhibits to ensure legal accuracy and procedural compliance.
• Provide contextual advice on legal practice and procedural requirements specific to civil-law jurisdictions in FWA.
• Ensure quality control, strategic alignment, and ethical integrity in litigation processes.
• Support knowledge transfer, including mentorship of emerging lawyers and local coordinating partners.
• Contribute to research and knowledge production, strengthening feminist and human-rights jurisprudence in the region.

Eligibility Criteria

• Proven experience in strategic litigation or litigation with a human-rights perspective.
• Demonstrated legal expertise in one or more Francophone West African jurisdictions.
• Fluency in French (English proficiency is an advantage).
• Capacity to provide clear, constructive, and timely advice on procedures.
• Commitment to confidentiality, professional ethics, and feminist accountability principles.
• Willingness to collaborate in accordance with ISLA’s principles of mutual learning, transparency, and collective responsibility.