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Initiative for Legal Aid (ILA)

Governance

Organisational Structure

How the Initiative for Legal Aid is organised, governed and held to account — from the General Assembly through to the legal officers and community paralegals who meet clients each day.

Governance context

An accountable line from the membership to the client

ILA is governed by its Constitution, internal policies, and applicable national legislation, and is committed to the principles of transparency, accountability, good governance, and compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements governing civil society organizations.

The organization functions independently of political parties, religious institutions, commercial interests, or governmental control, while maintaining constructive partnerships with public institutions and other stakeholders in pursuit of its mission.

As an institution, ILA is committed to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism, ethical conduct, accountability, and good governance. The organization upholds robust systems for financial management, programme quality assurance, safeguarding, monitoring and evaluation, organizational learning, and risk management.

Board Committees

  • Governance & Nominations Committee
  • Finance & Audit Committee
  • Programmes & Impact Committee
  • Safeguarding & Ethics Committee
  • Risk & Compliance Committee

Standing committees of the Board of Directors, as set out in ILA’s official organogram.

Organogram

Legal Aid & Access to Justice Unit

ILA's organisational structure is being brought onto the web department by department. This is the first unit — the team that carries ILA's flagship mandate — presented as a live hierarchy rather than a picture of a chart.

  • General Assembly

    All Members

    • Board of Directors

      Chairperson

      • Executive Director

        • Legal Aid & Access to Justice Unit

          Delivers ILA's legal aid and access to justice mandate: representation, counselling, litigation support, case management and community paralegal services.

Key

Direct reporting line
A solid connector indicates a direct line of accountability.
Functional / advisory relationship
A dashed connector indicates an advisory or functional relationship rather than direct line management.
Section shown in full
A gold marker indicates the department implemented at this stage of the web organogram.

Independent & Advisory Functions

  • Internal Audit Officer
  • Legal Advisor
  • Safeguarding Focal Point (PSEA)
  • Complaints & Feedback Mechanism Officer
  • Communications & Advocacy Officer

Shown on the ILA organogram as a functional or advisory relationship, not a direct reporting line.

Evidence, Learning & Knowledge

  • Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Manager
  • M&E Officer(s)
  • Research & Knowledge Management Officer
  • Data Management Officer

Shown on the ILA organogram as a functional or advisory relationship to the Executive Director.

Notes

  • All Units work under the overall strategic guidance of the Board and the leadership of the Executive Director.
  • Safeguarding, PSEA, and Accountability are institutional responsibilities across all departments.
  • The organogram promotes collaboration, accountability, transparency, and a survivor-centred approach.

In progress

The remaining departments

Each department below will be added to this page using the same components and the same institutional treatment, so the full organogram reads as one system.

  • Programmes Department

    To be added

  • Gender Justice Unit

    To be added

  • Child Protection & Women Empowerment Unit

    To be added

  • Human Rights & Protection Unit

    To be added

  • Peacebuilding & Conflict Resolution Unit

    To be added

  • Good Governance & Democratisation Unit

    To be added

  • Administration & Finance Department

    To be added

  • Grants & Resource Mobilisation Unit

    To be added

The Legal Aid & Access to Justice Unit is shown in full above. The structure of every remaining department already exists in ILA’s official organogram and is being transcribed onto the website in stages.

Position profilesGovernance & leadershipAccountability & policies