Brokerage Service - A4ID



Brokerage Service Instructions Brokerage ServiceThe brokerage service at A4ID aims to connect development organisations in need of legal assistance with legal partners who are willing to provide this assistance. Both the legal partners (LPs) and development partners (DPs) must be registered to use the brokerage service. The process is as follows:Prospective LPs approach A4ID to become partners and offer their services on a pro bono basis. They are then stored on a system/database which allows them to receive potential projects on a weekly basis.Development organisations approach A4ID to become partners in order to utilise the brokerage service to obtain legal advice/assistance that they would have not been able to access independently. Once the DPs have demonstrated their interest the due diligence process commences.DPs approach Joe when they are in need of legal advice, at this point if they are not already registered Joe will begin the process of sourcing all the relevant information to set them up as a new DP.Office 365 DesktopOffice 365 is a virtual remote desktop used by A4ID as a permanent replacement to a local desktop. It enables us to keep all of our documents and records online and provides security in the event of technical faults. As an intern you should have your own O365 login, if more than one person is using the same login it will log the other party off and this could result in them losing all their work if it has not been saved.PRINTING: Enter the department ID (2075) and password (7520) before printing. Please ensure that you print on black & white only.Salesforce Salesforce is a database used by A4ID to keep record of all the existing and past projects, development partners, legal partners, feedback reports and project applications.Entering New Projects Every Monday Joe circulates a list of new projects. The intern has to enter these projects into Salesforce:Attached to the email Joe circulates every Monday are the relevant project letters;Locate the specific project on Salesforce;Click the project number;Click ‘edit’;Copy and paste all the relevant information into the correct sub-headings (NB: the “Use and Likely Impact of Assistance” section of the projects letter goes under “Materials” on Salesforce);Enter the circulation date;Change the stage from ‘in preparation’ to ‘bid phase’;Check you have filed “country” and “region”;Save;Scroll down to ‘Notes & Attachments’ and attach the project letter. Project letters are located here: the existing project summary form on the system and attach the project letter in addition to this.Feedback SpreadsheetThe feedback spreadsheet is used to keep record of all the points of contact with the DP whilst attempting to obtain feedback. The spreadsheet is your guide in terms of how to structure your approach to contacting DPs.After allocation of the project,2075 Wanda will send a letter to both the DP and LP confirming the terms of their agreement to provide legal assistance;You will be notified when a new project needs to be entered into the spreadsheet;The spreadsheet is located here: out all the relevant details;Only contact DPs after the deadline for the project has passed as shown on the spreadsheet.At any point when you make correspondence with the DP be sure to update the spreadsheet noting the date, your name, and the outcome of the correspondence.Use the colour code system as noted on the bottom of the spreadsheet.When the feedback has been completed be sure to colour the whole row red.Colour code: Red: finishedGreen: email sentOrange: call agreed but not scheduledYellow: problem / uncertaintyBlue: call scheduledFeedbacks1st Email After the deadline for the project has passed, send a first email to the DP making amendments to the following template: (email 1).Start a new folder in your Inbox, with the relevant DP having an individual folder named after it, create another subfolder within this stating the name of the project. Update the spreadsheet when you have sent the first email – making sure to specify the date of the email and your name. 2nd Email If the DP has not responded to the first email, wait for 2 weeks then send a follow up email making necessary amendments to the 2nd email template: it is possible send the 2nd email as a follow on from the 1st email, so you create a continuous email feed. This will allow anyone to see which emails have been sent and when. Update the spreadsheet again, with your details. Telephone DP If your previous correspondences have not been answered within two weeks then proceed to telephone the DP directly using the contact details from the spreadsheet or Salesforce. Enquire whether they would be available to conduct a feedback call and schedule this accordingly. Make a note of the details of the feedback call including date, time, member of the organisation and what was said.If a feedback call has been scheduled amend the spreadsheet with these details and enter it into the calendar. Feedback Call Before the feedback call:Familiarise yourself with the details of the organisation and the project itself, as it will be useful when conducting the call and also as a reminder to the DP when you start the conversation. Start to fill out the details of LP Report Form, including name of the law firm, lawyers involved, details of the organisation etc. During the Feedback CallEnter the feedback directly into Salesforce and add the comments made by the DP into the relevant boxes. During the call, you can use the corresponding manual form for help on the questions, as located in. Do not enter the feedback on those forms as it needs to be enter directly on Salesforce.Pleasantries – Good morning/afternoon, how are you?Explain that you anticipate the call will take 30 minutes but ‘please let me know if you are pushed for time’;Go through DP feedback call printout questions – divided into four parts:Project related questions:Quality Assessment – Legal Services;Quality Assessment - A4ID Services;General Issues.Thank DP for their time.After the Feedback Call Send DP thank you email: that comments on feedback are coherent and if there are any negative feedbacks discuss this with Joe before including it on Salesforce. Draft the LP Report making amendments to the comments in order to compile a paragraph detailing the feedback from the DP. (If the LP is a Chambers then ask Joe before drafting a LP Report as it may not be necessary)If you have completed a manual copy save this and the completed LP Report in the folder that you had created before the call. Completion Send completed LP Report to Joe and not to the LP directly, as he will check the document and forward it on. When sending Joe the completed LP Report be sure to include just the hyperlink and do not attach the document itself. Due Diligence When organisations contact Joe to become DPs they must go through a due diligence process – this is to ensure that the organisations meet A4ID’s criteria and have structures in place to ensure financial stability and transparency. Overall this is a form of security for A4ID as it confirms that the organisation that they will be going into partnership with is robust in the sense of their principles, ethics and organisational structure. Each new DP has a folder set up here, if it has not already been done so please create a new folder under the name of organisation. the standard template of the Due Diligence form: save the DD form in the folder you have created. Where the organisation is profit-making entity, you may also need to complete this form: complete the DD form in line with the subheadings on the left.Terrorist clearance: The names of board of the organisation need to be entered here as they will be sent off to Reed Smith for terrorist clearance. ** This is very important that the names are entered correctly so please double check the accuracy of your spelling** check the arrangement of the first name and surname as names are often displayed in the inverted form in some regions. Corporate Structure: Specify the type of corporate entity/charity structure the DP is i.e. Limited liability Co, CIO, CIC, unincorporated association, trusts, etc. A quick description of the main structure can be found here: Accounts: Locate the relevant documents in regards to financial statements or annual reports either from the documents sent from the DP or from their website. Please attach the hyperlink for the documentCompany/ Charity number: paste the link for the entity on Companies House and/or the Charities Commission. If it is a company, please specify exactly what type of company it is e.g. company limited by guarantee etc…Source of funding: How do the DP raise capital, this information can usually be located in financial statements or often there may be a section on their website dedicated to this. If you cannot locate this information check the email correspondence with Joe and the DP as this may state the relevant information.Any sources of funding to be used specifically for the purposes of legal advice: This information is often difficult to locate but check if legal fees have been paid in prior years as reflected in their financial statements Turnover: Total income for the year Governance: Name of the board members, directors or trustees (not the staff) Accountability: Evidence of financial statements Endorsement/ Reference: provide a name of a referee Have a look at recently completed DD form to give you an idea of how and what to put into the form.Where the organisation is a UK registered Charity or Company, please check what information is held at these registries by doing a free search:Charity Commission: Companies House: It is sometimes possible to view documents such as Articles of Association, Annual Returns via Companies House, so it is worth checking what you can find, if the organisation has not sent it.It is also sometimes possible to check similar registers in other countries, although the level of disclosure may differ and documents might not be available for free.It is quite often the case that we have to ask organisations for more information, so don’t worry if you can’t find answers to everything first time. If you have concerns about any information of if anything doesn’t feel quite right, please note these concerns and let Joe know.Once you have completed the DD as far as you can, please send Joe/Wanda a hyperlink to the saved form, together with any concerns or observations you have. Please copy Joe on this email so he can track progress. Where the organisation is a profit-making entity, please also copy Lis.Please update the status of the DD in the relevant doc: Wanda will submit the form to Joe who makes the final decision.Legal Health Check The Legal Health Check is a new service offered to all DPs enabling a more in-depth assessment of their legal needs. DPs who opt for the legal health check will receive be a written report, setting out the legal issues the NGO needs to address, in terms of their importance and urgency, which the organisation can then work through over time. A4ID’s broker service team will then support the Development Partner to access pro bono legal advice on each specific need identified through the Legal Health Check. The purpose of this process is to identify the legal needs of the DP and to help them to prioritise them. The DP will be asked to provide information about their organization and will receive a written report in return from the LP. The Legal Health Check does not include providing advice or assistance on the issues identified. The DP will then contact A4ID afterwards to discuss how it would like to proceed once the Legal Health Check is completed. We will then help it seek pro bono legal advice on the issues raised.Conduct the Legal Health Check Feedback in the same means as you have done for the other feedback. Please find the questions for the Legal Health Check feedback here Legal Health Check is likely to involve the following stages :Initial Consultation: The lawyers will discuss the key features of the DP’s organisation and gain a better understanding of what it does. The discussion will centre on the work and nature of the organisation, its size and complexity, where it works and any other important characteristics. Questionnaire: Following the initial consultation, the lawyers will send a questionnaire to the DP. The questionnaire will ask for relevant supporting evidence where appropriate. Preliminary Analysis: On receipt of the completed questionnaire, the lawyers will review your answers to make an initial assessment of the legal strengths and weaknesses of your organisation, highlighting areas of need. In-depth Fact-finding: After initial clarifications, a longer in-person meeting (or, if not possible, phone call) will be scheduled between DP and LP to go through the questionnaire more fully. This is likely to take 1-3 hours depending on the size and complexity of your organisation.Report : To complete the Legal Health Check, the lawyers will prepare a written report. The report should clearly identify any specific legal issues that need to be addressed. It should also rank issues in order of urgency and importance, explaining why each issue needs addressing and highlighting relevant deadlines. In addition to setting out specific issues of importance, the report will give a summary of the legal ‘health’ of the organisation, highlighting areas that appear particularly strong or weak from a legal perspectiveA4ID will also be provided with the final report so that we can help you find pro bono support for the issues identified. This information will be treated confidentially.Type of legal issues: The Legal Health Check will explore in depth the everyday functioning of your organisation and any related legal issues. For example, it may include:Log in details Windows Log in: Username: probono.internPassword: P4sswordWeb access to Outlook : Outlook Log in: Username: probono.intern2@ Password: Welcome123 Username: probono.intern1@ Password: Pomegranate01Salesforce Log in: Username: probono.intern2@ Password: Pomegranate0111 Skype Log in: Username: probonointernPassword: Pomegranate01 Wifi Log in: CAN Mezzanine Wifi: CanMezz2ndFloorBack Password: !C4nnm3zzOffice 365 Log in: each intern has its personal address and log in. ................
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