the pils project

What the pils project does

The PILS Project (Public Interest Litigation Support) is a Northern Ireland-registered non-profit company limited by guarantee (NI071364), founded in 2009 to provide legal, financial, and training support to NGOs and legal professionals engaged in public interest litigation. It operates as Northern Ireland's only dedicated organisation of its kind, recruiting and coordinating a network of 120+ pro bono barristers, solicitors, and legal academics through the Pro Bono Register (established 2011), and disbursing financial assistance via its Litigation Fund for case outlays and costs indemnity. Notable casework outcomes include the Lorraine Cox judicial review leading to the Social Security (Terminal Illness) Act 2022, the Strangford Integrated College education challenge, and the ongoing Clean Air NI emissions testing case with Friends of the Earth NI.

PILS' core products are non-technological: the PIL Toolkit (a structured online resource of guides on judicial review, third party interventions, costs, and pre-litigation considerations), the Pro Bono Register referral service, the annual PILS Summer School, the To Be Fair NI podcast, and a growing catalogue of legal guides (Know Your Rights to Protest, NGO Legal Guides, Glossary of Legal Terms). The underlying technology stack is minimal — standard SaaS tooling including Mailchimp for newsletters and Google Analytics for web traffic monitoring — with no proprietary platform, no mobile application, and no API surface.

The business model is community-led and grant-funded: PILS provides all services free of charge to qualifying NGO members and pro bono lawyers, and sustains operations through grants from funders and charitable donations. Distribution is direct to a member-based audience of NI NGOs, solicitors, barristers, and activists, supported by a multi-channel content presence on LinkedIn, Bluesky, Vimeo, and via email newsletter. Customer segments span NGOs and human rights organisations (primary), legal professionals (primary), and the general public / activists (secondary). Pricing is non-commercial; revenue mechanics are grant cycle-driven rather than transactional. The organisation is GDPR-compliant and accredited as a Living Wage Employer.

Name

the pils project

Legal name

Public Interest Litigation Support (PILS)

Website

https://pilsni.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Other Legal Services (54119), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Public interest litigation
• Pro bono legal services
• NGO legal support
• Litigation training
• Human rights advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Donations: As a nonprofit organization, PILS Project operates primarily through grant funding from funders and charitable donations. The organization receives support from various funders to sustain operations and provide financial assistance to NGOs pursuing public interest litigation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The PILS Project provides legal, financial, and training support to NGOs and legal professionals to develop public interest litigation cases in Northern Ireland. Core services include casework support through the PIL Toolkit, coordination of a Pro Bono Register network of 120+ legal professionals providing free legal assistance, financial support through a Litigation Fund for public interest cases, and training via the annual PILS Summer School programme. All services are provided free of charge to qualifying organizations and individuals.

Product overview

The PILS Project operates as a single, unified offering—a public interest litigation support service centered around the PIL Toolkit (Public Interest Litigation Toolkit). The core product is the online Toolkit which provides comprehensive resources including guides on judicial review, third party interventions, costs and negotiating costs, engaging with ombudsmen, pre-litigation considerations, and a glossary of legal terms. Supporting the Toolkit is the Pro Bono Register—a network of 120+ legal professionals providing free legal assistance to member NGOs and solicitors. Additional offerings include the To Be Fair NI podcast, the Know Your Rights to Protest guide, NGO legal guides, and annual training through the PILS Summer School. The organisation also facilitates access to Protective Costs Orders and Pro Bono Costs Orders as legal mechanisms to support public interest litigation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PIL Toolkit (Public Interest Litigation Toolkit) A comprehensive online resource that demystifies the process of engaging in public interest litigation for human rights NGOs in Northern Ireland, providing guides on judicial review, third party interventions, costs and negotiating costs, engaging with ombudsmen, pre-litigation considerations, templates, and legal terminology definitions.
• Pro Bono Register A coordinated network of 120+ barristers, solicitors, and legal academics who provide pro bono legal assistance to PILS' NGO and solicitor members in Northern Ireland. The Register connects NGOs working on public interest cases with qualified legal professionals offering free legal support.
• To Be Fair NI Podcast Northern Ireland's podcast celebrating activists and allies using the law to change lives, bringing audiences into the heart of PILS' work and the public interest litigation cases supported by the organization.
• Know Your Rights to Protest Guide Guide designed to empower organisers and campaigners based in Northern Ireland, explaining their right to peaceful protest and related policing powers. Created in collaboration with CAJ, EJNI, and FOE NI.
• NGO Legal Guides User-friendly guides on legal tools developed as part of a cross-border pro bono initiative, introducing human rights organisations from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to five legal tools.
• PILS Summer School Free training programme for community and voluntary organisations working in Northern Ireland on human rights and public interest issues. Provides training and capacity building to enable organizations to engage in public interest litigation.
• Glossary of Legal Terms Plain language definitions of legal terms used in the PIL Toolkit, helping to make legal language more accessible to NGOs and the public.
• Litigation Fund Financial support fund providing outlays and costs indemnity for NGOs pursuing public interest litigation in Northern Ireland. Reduces the financial barriers that prevent human rights organizations from accessing and using the law.

Quantifiable outcome

• Social Security (Terminal Illness) Act 2022 - Changed law extending benefits eligibility from 6 to 12 months for terminally ill claimants
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Law Centre NIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw Centre NI is a PILS member organization that represented Lorraine Cox in her judicial review challenge to the six-month rule for terminally ill social security claimants. PILS provided legal support through the Pro Bono Register and financial assistance through the Litigation Fund.
• IEF (Integrated Education Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEF is a PILS NGO member that worked with the organization to support Strangford Integrated College's challenge to the Education Minister's refusal of its Development Proposal. The successful legal action enabled the school to expand enrollment.
• Friends of the Earth NIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFriends of the Earth NI is a PILS member that brought the landmark Clean Air NI judicial review challenging the Department for Infrastructure's failure to test diesel emissions since 2006. PILS provided junior and senior counsel from the Pro Bono Register.
• NSPCCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSPCC engaged PILS to support their campaign to change sections 28 and 29 of the Sexual Offences (NI) Order 2008. PILS recruited a barrister from the Pro Bono Register to draft an amendment that was included in the Justice Miscellaneous Bill.
• Law Society of Northern IrelandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-designed the Climate Justice CPD series with the Law Society of Northern Ireland, providing continuing professional development on climate litigation for legal professionals.
• NICIE (National Integrated Education Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with PILS to support Strangford Integrated College's legal challenge, working alongside IEF and PILS' Pro Bono Register lawyers.
• Nobel Women's InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with The Nobel Women's Initiative for the 'Oh, Sister! Belfast' screening event celebrating women in peace building as part of the Good Friday Agreement's 25th anniversary.
• CAJ (Committee on the Administration of Justice)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with CAJ, EJNI, and FOE NI to create the Know Your Rights Guide to Protest, designed to empower organizers and campaigners in Northern Ireland.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Law Centre NI: Northern Ireland-based independent legal charity providing specialist legal services in social security, immigration, mental health, and employment. Direct peer given its overlapping PIL casework, NI focus, and NGO funding model; PILS partner on the Cox terminal illness judicial review.
• Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ): NI-based independent human rights organization that promotes civil liberties and human rights through policy, litigation support, and public education. Direct peer given shared PIL focus, NI jurisdiction, and direct collaboration with PILS on the Know Your Rights to Protest guide.
• Public Law Project: UK-wide charity that works to ensure public law works for everyone, supporting strategic litigation, access to justice, and challenging unfair laws. Most direct functional peer to PILS as a PIL support infrastructure organization, though operating across England and Wales rather than Northern Ireland.
• Public Interest Law Alliance (PILA): Irish Council for Civil Liberties initiative that supports pro bono legal services and PIL capacity-building across Ireland. Direct peer as a PIL infrastructure organization with a matching mission of connecting NGOs with pro bono lawyers and providing training and resources.
• Environmental Law Foundation: UK charity providing legal help to communities and individuals on environmental and planning law issues, including through a pro bono lawyer network. Direct peer given its environmental PIL focus and pro bono referral model, particularly relevant given PILS's Clean Air NI casework.
• JUSTICE: UK-wide law reform and human rights organization that works through strategic litigation, research, and policy to uphold the rule of law. Direct peer given shared strategic litigation methodology and access-to-justice mission, though broader in scope than PILS's NGO-support focus.

Regional players

• Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission: Statutory body established to promote and protect human rights in Northern Ireland, with powers to provide legal assistance and intervene in cases. Peer as a NI human rights enforcement actor with litigation capacity, though funded by statute rather than donations and with a broader remit than PIL support specifically.
• Scottish Human Rights Commission: Scotland's national human rights institution promoting and protecting human rights, with intervention powers in PIL cases. Regional peer given comparable statutory human rights infrastructure but serving Scotland rather than Northern Ireland.

Others

• Baring Foundation: UK independent foundation that has historically funded PIL capacity-building and pro bono infrastructure across the charity sector. Peer as a funder of PIL ecosystem players rather than a service provider, with potential interest in funding PILS expansion.

Emerging players

• Howard League for Penal Reform: UK charity working for less crime, safer communities, and fewer people in prison through legal interventions, campaigns, and PIL. Emerging player peer given shared NGO legal-aid model and use of strategic litigation, though focused on the narrower criminal justice / penal reform sector.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pilsni
• YouTubevimeo.com/thepilsproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-pils-project

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about the pils project