2m target for BIICL

City giant Linklaters is leading a drive to raise 2 million for the London-based British Institute of International and Comparative law (BIICL).

The BIICL is heavily involved in the development of international commercial and financial law and plays a major role in implementing law reform projects around the world.

Although 700,000 has already been raised, the BIICL wants 2 million to create specialist centres and training, research projects, conferences and other activities that will develop its work in global business law, common law and the protection of human rights.

Linklaters is sponsoring the institute's annual Grotius lecture for the next five years and has offered the use of its marketing team.

Lord Bingham of Cornhill, chairman of the BIICL's council of management, said: 'This...

will fund our expansion and enable us to respond to the growing need to understand and influence the development of law on a supranational basis.'

Linklaters litigation partner Diana Good said: 'The BIICL does vital work in ensuring that the UK is at the forefront of legal development in the world and all those engaged in the practise of commercial law can benefit from it.

We all need to support its work or we are in danger of being left behind our global competitors.'

The appeal committee also includes Peter Barton, Tim Cowen and Pieter Folmer - in-house counsel for Alliance & Leicester, BT Ignite and Shell UK respectively.

Jeremy Fleming