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Increasing Access JUN-DEC 2021 Pro Bono and Community Investment This PDF Has Elements Contents of Interactivity ISSUE 08 Increasing Access JUN-DEC 2021 Pro bono and community investment This PDF has elements Contents of interactivity 04Tackling social inequality News06 from Racial08 discrimination 10A buzz of enthusiasm in the aftermath of the network within criminal for A&O’s PBCI a pandemic justice systems programme in Australia 14A&O’s first global pro 22The disproportionate 25Successful UK 26Ten questions for bono and community impact of Covid-19 High Court ruling Tokyo counsel investment award on women around for immigration Osamu Ito winners announced the world detainees in prison 2 Increasing Access | JUN-DEC 2021 “ Given the impact Covid-19 is having on already disadvantaged groups in our societies, we felt it was right to focus our next global partnership on tackling social inequalities. It’s perhaps the most pressing challenge every country faces as we come out of this pandemic.” Hilde Van Der Baan – Partner, Amsterdam allenovery.com 3 Foreword Tackling social inequality in the aftermath of a pandemic Hilde Van Der Baan and Franz Ranero – our global pro bono and community investment partners – explain why social mobility is a focus internationally and is becoming the theme of our next Global Charity Partnership. Our Global Charity Partnership 2021-2023 “It’s a harsh reality that in 2021, in almost “We recently reviewed our work in this area A&O’s current Global Charity Partnership “Bringing the resources of the whole every country, the socio-economic across the firm,” Hilde says, “and so many with Hope and Homes for Children ends business together means we can background children are born into is still the offices have long-running programmes, in July this year, having been extended make a real impact on this issue with biggest factor in their life chances,” says particularly around education, so it’s an throughout the Covid-19 crisis (see p6). our Global Charity Partner,” Hilde says. Franz. “Some of the wealthiest countries in issue we know people feel strongly about. The process of choosing our next partner “But equally important is continuing the the world, like the UK and U.S., have the is now underway. broad programme of work we do at a “Given the impact Covid-19 is having worst records on income mobility. local level to address the specific social on already disadvantaged groups in our “We’ve deliberately kept the social mobility backdrops and challenges that exist in “How we help young people to break cycles societies, we felt it was right to focus our theme broad,” Franz says, “to see the range each country.” of disadvantage and build better futures is next global partnership on tackling social of organisations our people want to support. something I care deeply about – coming inequalities. It’s perhaps the most pressing That could be anything from education and from a working-class immigrant background challenge every country faces as we come employability initiatives to digital inclusion.” myself – and an issue I think businesses can out of this pandemic.” A shortlist of charities nominated by partners make a real impact on by raising aspirations and staff will be put to a global vote and the and broadening access to opportunities.” new partnership will begin in September, Social mobility has been at the centre of providing financial support – with a A&O’s pro bono and community investment fundraising target of GBP1 million – as well work for years, with access to education and as pro bono and in-kind support. employment a focus of local programmes in virtually every office. 4 Increasing Access | JUN-DEC 2021 Social mobility addressed locally School exclusions in the UK In 2019, nearly 8,000 young people were permanently excluded from school – up more than 70% over the past seven years. Excluded children are four times more likely to have grown up in poverty; only one in 100 achieves the five exam passes usually required in the employment market; and over half the UK prison population were excluded from school. “The long-term impact of school exclusions on young people’s educational outcomes, mental wellbeing and life chances are profound,” says Franz Ranero. “We’ve been looking at what we can do for some time and are now launching a programme in London to tackle preventable exclusions by providing resources for parents and school governors, extracurricular activities targeted at vulnerable children and a new legal advice clinic to – Internationally (for example in Germany, – Belgium – we have a long-term relationship help parents challenge exclusion decisions.” Hong Kong, Luxembourg, South Africa, with a weekend school for underprivileged Spain and the UK) we provide bursaries children in Brussels to supplement their In addition, we are funding an initiative, ‘Excluded’, which and scholarships to support students schooling and learn about careers in top supports secondary schools that have exclusion rates higher from low socio-economic and immigrant professions. We will soon welcome our first than the national average. Our funding will help four London backgrounds through higher education. intern from the school. Read more in our schools implement activities to tackle the causes interview with Niels De Waele on p18. of exclusions. – Hong Kong – our programme increasingly focuses on marginalised ethnic minority – Spain – we are providing training and communities, including paying all living support for students in foster care and and education costs for five Nepalese girls, those at risk of being excluded from the from primary school through to college. education system. – Singapore – we funded high-speed WiFi – Budapest – our long-running litigation installation and data for 2,000 residents in has seen financial compensation public housing blocks, which proved vital granted to over 60 Roma children who during the pandemic in enabling access experienced segregation in schools – to online learning and job sites. We also despite government pressure on the supported a charity in moving its STEM judiciary to rule against us. lessons online, meaning it now reaches – Australia – we are providing financial and 10,000 children living in shelters across pro bono support for people experiencing South East Asia. homelessness (read more about our work in Australia on p10). allenovery.com 5 News from the network Hope and Homes for Children – partnership breaks records as response to Covid-19 continues A&O’s Global Charity Partnership with Hope and “We reached 136,000 children throughout 2020 New A&O interest group launched to support Homes for Children ends in July, having been – our highest number ever – keeping them safe forcibly displaced people extended to help deal with the effects of the through the Covid-19 crisis and enabling us to pay Providing access to justice for displaced people has been Covid-19 pandemic. rent for families at risk of eviction. We provided food a focus of A&O’s pro bono programme for many years, and medicines, deployed frontline social workers to Our latest global campaign has raised GBP475,000 for example through our partnership with European respond to an explosion in domestic violence, and – making it our most successful ever – and bringing Lawyers in Lesvos, which is helping thousands of asylum protected children who might have been sexually our fundraising total to a record GBP1.8 million. seekers stranded on Greek islands, as well as our long- exploited or trafficked into forced labour. term relationship with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) As Mark Waddington, CEO at Hope and Homes for “But in India and Nepal, the Covid situation is and our recent Global Charity Partnership with War Child. Children, says: “Our challenge in 2020 was to tackle currently at its worst, so we are working with our the threat of children being driven into institutions Our new Forcible Displacement Interest Group – local partners CINI and Forget Me Not to tackle in horrifying numbers during the pandemic, at part of A&O’s wider Human Rights Interest Group – the immediate risks and to address longer the same time as protecting children already is being launched to consolidate our network of lawyers term problems. in orphanages from panic closures, which saw across the firm who have expertise in refugee and asylum thousands sent back to families with no planning, “The majority of other countries we work in are also work, as well as providing a hub for know-how, resources preparation or oversight. still grappling with the effects of the virus so we must and the specialised training required to provide support for continue to ensure children and their families are at a particularly marginalised group of people. “It has been one of the greatest challenges in our the heart of our efforts, both during the pandemic history, but A&O’s decision to extend our partnership and through the recovery period,” Mark says. was a game changer. Read more about our next Global Charity Partnership on p4. 6 Increasing Access | JUN-DEC 2021 Managing partner Gareth Price appointed to government taskforce on social mobility Gareth Price, A&O’s global managing partner, has been appointed to the Advisory Board for a UK government “Fake and substandard taskforce to boost socio-economic diversity at senior medicines are a global levels in financial and professional services sectors. A&O recently took part in research by non-profit problem but one that is consultancy, the Bridge Group, across ten major law firms, which showed that lawyers from lower particularly prevalent in socio-economic backgrounds take on average a year and a half longer to progress to partnership than their sub-Saharan Africa...” peers from higher socio-economic backgrounds – a trend reflected in other sectors. In his role in the government taskforce, Gareth will join a cross-sector advisory group looking at new ideas, sharing examples of good practice and championing the case for greater socio-economic diversity at senior Tackling the trade in falsified and substandard medicines in Africa levels of business.
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