WIEGO is piloting a virtual education and engagement programme that brings together lawyers from around the world to support worker organizations in the informal economy.
It is partnering with the Bernstein Institute for Human Rights at NYU School of Law and the Movement Law Lab to deliver the nine-month programme from January to September 2027, which will convene 20 to 30 lawyers from different regions and legal traditions.
Through live virtual learning sessions and an in-person convening, participants will build the knowledge, skills and mindset needed to work more effectively alongside organizations of workers in the informal economy.
The programme will help participants strengthen their understanding of the political economy of informal work and the role of the law in this, critically assess legal frameworks and strategies that can advance workers’ rights, and expose participants to innovative models of legal assistance and advocacy.
It will also build relationships with lawyers across regions who are grappling with similar questions, and offer the opportunity to collaborate on legal advocacy strategies.
Equipping lawyers to support workers in informal employment
WIEGO’s Law Programme supports worker organizations to identify and respond to their members’ legal needs, including worker education on the law, paralegal training, and building relationships with public interest and pro bono lawyers who can assist them.
Pamhidzai Bamu-Chipunza, WIEGO’s Labour Law Specialist, said workers in the informal economy are increasingly using the law to advance their struggles, but they cannot do it alone.
“For example, a domestic worker may need a letter of demand to recover unpaid wages, a group of street vendors may need to seek an injunction to prevent an arbitrary eviction, or an outspoken waste picker leader may need defence in a defamation case,” she says.
“This is particularly the case when rising authoritarianism and shrinking civic space interfere with livelihoods; repress organizing; and threaten the safety and security of workers.”
Bamu-Chipunza said legal problems facing workers in the informal economy rarely fit into a neat case, as threats to livelihoods and organizing are often multifaceted.
“Lawyers need to understand these realities, navigate fragmented legal frameworks, and develop strategies that support workers’ own advocacy,” she says.
“Yet few opportunities exist to explore different ways of working—and to move beyond short-term, case-based representation towards longer-term partnerships with worker organizations.”
Applicant profile
Lawyers and other legal practitioners who are part of an NGO, union, public interest firm, law clinic, research centre or network are invited to apply, as well as those committed to supporting worker organizations. Lawyers may be a good fit for the cohort if they:
- Are committed to supporting worker organizations in the informal economy, whether through legal assistance, advocacy, campaigning, organizing or other forms of movement support.
- Are curious and open to experimentation—willing to question familiar ways of working, learn from others and explore new approaches to movement lawyering.
- Bring a spirit of collaboration and reflection and are willing to share your own experiences, challenges and lessons with the cohort.
- Can take the learning back into your own practice, organization or network and help spread new ideas and approaches.
- Can commit the time—approximately one 2.5-hour session each month, plus time to prepare, reflect and apply the learning between sessions.
- Are fluent in English or Spanish.
Logistical information and course timelines
Participants will be advised whether they have been selected for the cohort by mid-November 2026.
In late November or early December 2026, WIEGO will host a welcome session to provide participants with a chance to come together, meet the cohort, get oriented and begin the journey.
The nine-month learning programme will run from January to September 2027, culminating in a three-day in-person convening. During the convening, participants may identify follow-up activities that could be supported through small action grants.
Where participants are able to cover their own travel, accommodation, and other expenses for the in-person convening, we ask that they do so. This allows us to focus our support on participants who need it and helps us bring as many people together in person as possible.
How to apply
Applicants are asked to fill out this application form by October 31, 2026. Please reach out to pamhidzai.bamu@wiego.org if you have any questions about the initiative.
About our partners
The Bernstein Institute is the only U.S. legal academic center dedicated to advancing research, education, and advocacy on the redistribution of legal power — with communities in the lead in defining the justice they seek.
Movement Law Lab has deep expertise in helping lawyers develop the skills to work effectively with social movements and in bringing them together locally, nationally, and transnationally to exchange knowledge, surface lessons, and work together.