Former USAID General Counsel John Simpkins has warned the legal landscape for lawyers working in development could become even more complex once President-elect Donald Trump takes up office in January.
Lawyers often have an integral role to play in achieving development goals and keeping aid programs running, and considering today’s evolving challenges — the largest refugee crisis since World War II, growing political nationalist rhetoric, international health emergencies, and climate change negotiations — they are likely to be busier than ever, he said.
“Everything will depend on what foreign aid looks like in the Trump administration ... but if we take him at his word, we can already identify a number of challenges that would shape the legal landscape going forward,” Simpkins said.
About the author
Sophie Edwards
Sophie Edwards is a Devex Contributing Reporter covering global education, water and sanitation, and innovative financing, along with other topics. She has previously worked for NGOs, and the World Bank, and spent a number of years as a journalist for a regional newspaper in the U.K. She has a master's degree from the Institute of Development Studies and a bachelor's from Cambridge University.
