International Legal Consortium

The International Legal Consortium (ILC) is part of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The ILC is a team of lawyers that have extensive experience in public health and international law, with regional specializations. Since it was established in 2007, the ILC has provided legal technical assistance in over 90 countries. Find out more about what we do and the resources we provide.

International Legal Consortium Lawyers

Patricia Lambert, B.A. Hons. LL.B. 
Vice President
plambert@tobaccofreekids.org

Patricia Lambert is a South African human rights and labor lawyer. Before coming to the US in 2007 to direct the International Legal Consortium at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, she served as legal advisor (1997 - 2006) to the South African government during the presidencies of Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. In that role she worked on various aspects of post-Apartheid law reform, including the implementation of her country's strong domestic tobacco control laws. Patricia was the lead negotiator and Head of Delegation for South Africa during the WHO FCTC negotiations and represented the African region on the Bureau that managed the negotiation process.

Monique Muggli is a public health attorney who has worked in tobacco control policy for over 20 years. Prior to joining the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Monique was a research and litigation consultant for numerous domestic and international health organizations, governments, and private litigants. In that capacity, Monique researched and published findings from the once-secret internal tobacco industry documents. Monique has authored nearly 30 peer-reviewed articles and has been a contributor to several reports published by World Health Organization and its regional offices.

Robert Eckford worked as a public law solicitor in the United Kingdom for 10 years, initially on mental health and education law. He worked for the Official Solicitor of England and Wales then spent four years with the UK Department of Health where he led the legal advice on standardized packaging of tobacco laws and other tobacco control legislation, as well as advising on the UK’s negotiation of the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive and litigation brought by the tobacco industry. At the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, as well as advising advocates and government officials on drafting and implementing tobacco control laws, Robert administers the Bloomberg/Gates anti-tobacco litigation fund and provides specialist advice on the intersection between tobacco and international trade and investment law.

Kaitlin Donley is a public health attorney who has worked in tobacco control policy for over ten years. In her work, she has reviewed and analyzed tobacco control laws from dozens of countries. Kaitlin has also worked with the World Health Organization on several projects on the issues of tobacco control and road safety.

Gianella Severini is an Argentinean attorney and journalist who provides technical legal assistance to promote public health policy with a focus on tobacco control. She focuses on Latin American countries. Her background is in non-communicable disease regulations, where she has provided strategic guidance on policy development, drafting laws and regulation, advising litigation strategies, and supporting legal capacity-building efforts in different countries. Prior to joining Tobacco-Free Kids, Gianella worked at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, the Inter-American Heart Foundation Argentina, and the Foundation for the Development of Sustainable Policies. She completed part of her undergraduate studies at the University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines (France) and graduated from the National University of Córdoba (Argentina). Gianella obtained a Master of Laws in Global Health Law and is certified in international trade studies from Georgetown University. She is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, English, and French.

Daniel López is a Chilean attorney with over nine years of experience as a practicing counselor and litigator focusing on Life Sciences, Nutrition Law, and Health and Economic Regulation issues. After getting his Master of Laws in Global Health Law from Georgetown University in 2020, he worked as an International Consultant for the Tobacco Control Team at the Pan-American Health Organization in Washington DC, where he reviewed, analyzed, and provided strategic guidance for the implementation of tobacco control policies in several Latin-American and Caribbean countries. Before joining PAHO, Daniel worked at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, researching several public health topics.

Deniece is Canadian and is a U.S. licensed lawyer who has practiced for nearly 15 years in various legal roles, including as State Attorney analyzing constitutional matters and acting as General Counsel managing all legal issues for a non-profit corporation. Deniece also served as a part-time Magistrate Judge hearing matters related to criminal proceedings. In 2021, Deniece completed a Master of Laws in Advanced Studies in International Children’s Rights at Leiden University in the Netherlands, focusing on the interrelation of attaining children’s rights through several avenues, including strategic litigation, awareness-raising, policy change, and education.

Irma Zejćirović earned her Master of Arts in European and Eurasian Studies at the George Washington University and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. Irma then worked at the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Washington, DC as the Assistant to the Ambassador and as a Research Assistant at the George Washington University. Irma has been with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids since October 2018.