Pan African Lawyers Union

The Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) is a continental membership forum for African lawyers and lawyers’ associations. PALU was founded in 2002, by African Bar leaders and eminent lawyers, to reflect the aspirations and concerns of the African people and to promote and defend their shared interests. It brings together the continent’s five regional lawyers’ associations, over fifty-four national lawyers’ associations and over 500 lawyers. Our vision is to see a united, just and prosperous Africa, built on the rule of law and good governance. Our mission is to advance the law and the legal profession, rule of law, good governance, human and peoples’ rights and socio-economic development of the African continent. PALU’s governance consists of three bodies (General Assembly, Council and Executive Committee) with complementary responsibilities in terms of policy, strategic and financial oversight. The PALU General Assembly consists of all its corporate and individual members; it meets at least once every three years. The PALU Council is made up of the Presidents of the five regional and fifty-four national Lawyers’ Associations (Bar Associations and Law Societies); it meets at least once every year. The General Assembly elects an Executive Committee, to lead and represent the organisation, formulate its policies and strategies, and supervise the Secretariat, which is headed by the Chief Executive Officer. Thus the programmes, projects and activities are implemented by the Secretariat, strategically located in Arusha, Tanzania, which is also the seat of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption, amongst others. - See more at: http://lawyersofafrica.org/about-the-pan-african-lawyers-union