The World Bank and IFC's annual Doing Business survey offers lawyers the opportunity to use their expertise to improve business environments worldwide. The Law Society is a global contributor to the project and we are looking for lawyers, both in private practice and working in-house, in the following practice areas to get involved: corporate, employment, commercial litigation, bankruptcy and real estate.
Why get involved?
The project is an opportunity to use your expertise to improve business environments worldwide. It will allow you and your firm to establish contacts with the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation plus join a network of over 8,000 professionals across the world. The project is open to commercial lawyers, notaries, judges, architects, trade logistics specialists, and accountants.
About the Doing Business report
Doing Business researches business laws and regulations in over 183 countries to provide an objective basis for understanding and improving the regulatory environment for business. The results of the research are presented in the annual Doing Business report, which is currently the best-selling World Bank publication. The high-profile publication is at the forefront of the bank's efforts to promote efficient and effective business reform.
The report benchmarks 11 indicators including seven legal topics: starting a business (corporate law), employing workers (employment law), registering property (real estate law), getting credit (collateral law), protecting investors (corporate law), enforcing contracts (commercial litigation) and closing a business (bankruptcy).
How does it work?
Contributors complete short online surveys based on their sector and jurisdiction of expertise. Participants are asked to confirm or correct last year's data and to indicate where, if any, reforms have taken place. Surveys are normally released at the beginning of the year and the report is published in autumn.
In exchange for your invaluable contribution, your name and your firm's name will be mentioned in the report and listed on the World Bank Doing Business website [1]. You will also receive a complimentary copy of the report.
How to get involved
The surveys are now live and the deadline to complete and return them is 23 March. To get involved email wbdb@lawsociety.org.uk [2] including your contact details, the jurisdiction/s in which you are qualified to practise and the surveys you wish to complete:
- starting a business
- getting credit
- employing workers
- closing a business
- enforcing contracts
- protecting investors
- registering property