Request for local legal counsel regarding Corus registration

Corus International will obtain registration for a new international not-for-profit entity in Sierra Leone.

Lutheran World Relief (LWR) and IMA World Health (IMA) have recently joined forces to expand our ability to empower people to break the cycle of poverty and lead healthy lives. As part of this combination, we created a new parent organization in the United States, Corus International, Inc. (Corus), while preserving both LWR and IMA, as well as other subsidiaries, as fully registered entities under the new parent organization. Corus registered as a Maryland non-stock nonprofit corporation September 26, 2019. The relationship of Corus and its subsidiaries can be seen in the illustration below.

We are seeking a registration that will allow Corus to conduct a broad array of activities—including but not limited to health, education, agriculture, climate change, natural resource management, conservation, disaster risk reduction, emergency response and humanitarian assistance—and that will not restrict the organization’s activities from a sectoral or geographic approach. We are seeking a Corus registration that allows for all Corus entities to be authorized to operate in Sierra Leone under the Corus registration without its own separate registration.

We are seeking support to obtain the necessary registration for Corus in a way that ensures our ability to operate under Corus International. The scope of work includes counsel on the type of registration and/or ministry to pursue for broad coverage for Corus in sectoral, geographic and subsidiaries; counsel on additional regulatory approvals to ensure the ability of Corus and its subsidiaries to conduct business under the name of any and all combination of legal entities in country from entering into contractual agreements to opening and operating bank accounts, etc.  

If you have the capacity and expertise in these matters, please submit the following information:

1. From your experience, please provide a proposal that describes the estimated time frame to complete your recommended legal work, the estimated cost and proposed method of invoicing.
2. Organizational details, including firm name, firm legal form and partners, year established, bar admissions, copy of firm’s certification and bar certifications/cards of the lawyers who will work on our file.
3. Is your firm a Member of an International Association of Firms?
4. Please disclose if anyone in your firm currently serves as a government official or has served as a government official in the past 5 years.
5. Please describe your experience in supporting International NGOs in corporate registration and restructuring in your country, including:
   • Corporate formation, registration, governance and reporting.
   • Taxation (Corporate, VAT, Benefits)
   • Labor and employment
   • Real Estate and Leasing
   • Insurance
   • Litigation and dispute resolution
   • Investigations
   • Intellectual property
6. Please describe your firm’s experience with U.S. Government Funded projects in your country.
7. Please advise as to whether you are familiar with the Bilateral Agreement between the United States and your Country with respect to certain U.S. Government Funded projects. 
8. Please provide two references to other International NGOs whom your firm has served and provide a brief description as to the kinds of services rendered.
9. If you are on the Embassy Legal Referral List of any Embassy, please provide a copy of the Embassy referral listing showing your firm’s inclusion. 

Application process: Email the requested information to hmansaray@corusinternational.org

Deadline for submission: 14 February 2022

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