Vance Center Welcomes New Pro Bono Legal Manager

Pedro Villegas joined the Vance Center in June 2025 as Pro Bono Legal Manager. In this role, he oversees the placement and tracking of pro bono projects with law firms and clearinghouses, and leads the Vance Center’s pro bono promotion efforts and the Keep Families Together initiative.

Prior to joining the Vance Center, Pedro served as Senior Program Officer at the International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP), where he coordinated and implemented pro bono legal projects across Latin America, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. His work focused on supporting sustainable development and legal empowerment through partnerships with NGOs, governments, and social enterprises. He also served as an LL.M. Postgraduate Fellow at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment and held advisory roles with Colombia’s Ministry of Housing and Ministry of Environment. Earlier in his career, he practiced law in Bogotá, Colombia, advising on land use, environmental compliance, and public utilities regulation.

Pedro holds an LLM from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He earned his law degree and a Master’s in Public Law from Universidad de Caldas and Universidad Externado de Colombia. He is admitted to practice law in Colombia and has passed the New York Bar Exam, with admission pending.

Pedro is fluent in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.