Increasing Access ISSUE 07 DEC 2020-MAY 2021 Pro bono and community investment allenovery.com In this issue This PDF has elements Contents of interactivity 2 Increasing Access | Dec 2020-May 2021 Children from Christ Church Primary School, London allenovery.com 3 Foreword As one of the world’s top firms, we have a lot to offer. In September, Amsterdam Litigation partner Hilde van der Baan and London ICM partner Franz Ranero took over as A&O’s co-heads of pro bono and community investment, replacing partners Annelies van der Pauw and Mark Mansell (read their interview on ). We ask Franz and Hilde about what they’ve learnt so far and their priorities for the coming year. “I’ve been involved in our pro bono programme of the Greek asylum work, for example, really for some years,” Hilde says, “so thought I had impressed me.” a good appreciation of what we do. But I’ve “I think the spirit of innovation we share across been truly amazed in these first few months the firm is one of our biggest strengths,” Hilde by how many people are involved in our work says. “We’ve done amazing work by being internationally, not only on high-profile global ambitious enough to think outside the box projects, but the programmes people have and come up with original ideas that make a initiated locally.” difference. Some of our best work is where we “That has really struck me too,” says Franz. draw on the full spectrum of expertise across the “I’ve worked on social finance and mentoring firm – legal, of course, but also marketing, HR, programmes for some time, but I didn’t IT, project management – bringing all those skills appreciate the sheer breadth of what our lawyers together can really create change.” and support professionals are doing – the scale “ I think the spirit of innovation we share across the firm is one of our biggest strengths.” 4 Increasing Access | Dec 2020-May 2021 “ This first year is about learning from everyone involved in our programme, building awareness of the scope of our work and increasing our commitment, involvement and impact.” Hilde’s earliest pro bono work was with The demand for pro bono support in today’s “We’re living through a time where societal Lawyers for Lawyers in Amsterdam, an world is greater than ever, Franz believes, challenges and change are very much front organisation that protects lawyers around and only going to increase. “Sometimes and centre,” Hilde agrees. “Organisations the world so that they can practise freely, I think we take our skills and experiences are facing similar issues – social mobility, without fear of prosecution. But the for granted and don’t see the potential diversity and inclusion, business and human realisation of what A&O could achieve by impact we can have when we apply them rights, climate change – so our aim is to bringing together its full breadth of skills to different challenges. My personal area of align ourselves more closely with clients on came, Hilde says, through the global charity interest is in the interaction between ESG, this. We will have more impact if we do.” partnership with Amref Health Africa. impact investing and social finance – how As Franz says: “The Covid-19 pandemic private capital can be enticed to invest in “As well as being involved in our local has heightened awareness of just social enterprises and charities. I’ve recently Amsterdam fundraising activities, I was how vulnerable people are within our joined the board of a social investment part of a global team of lawyers and communities. As a big commercial business, foundation – Access ( ) – and want support professionals who developed an we have a responsibility to think beyond to grow our work in this area. As one of the advocacy toolkit to enable Amref to improve narrow financial outcomes and consider world’s top finance firms, clearly we have a communities’ understanding of their sexual society at large – there’s so much need in lot to offer!” and reproductive health rights in Tanzania, the world, and we have an opportunity to and convince policy makers and community Supporting a wider responsible channel our expertise to support parts of leaders to support those rights. It was business agenda society that couldn’t otherwise access it. amazing to visit Tanzania, speak to For me personally, I want to take what I’ve Social exclusion in its broadest sense is the volunteers and communities they learnt being an ICM lawyer for 20 years one of the most pressing issues every supported and see the impact of our to create the most benefit I can for the country faces, Franz says. “Whether people work – which continues to this day.” communities we’re part of.” are excluded by poverty, race, education, displacement – we can do a lot as a firm to help address those issues.” allenovery.com 5 Hilde in Tanzania in May 2015 with the Amref Health Africa advocacy toolkit team 6 Increasing Access | Dec 2020-May 2021 “ Sometimes I think we take our skills and experiences for granted and don’t see the potential impact we can have when we apply them to different challenges. My personal area of interest is in the interaction between ESG, impact investing and social finance.” Priorities for the first year A firm-wide priority for both Hilde and Franz Celebrating the achievements of the people is to continue building a culture in which pro who volunteer within the firm’s programmes bono and community investment work is is also a priority. “We want to grow central to A&O’s core business. participation in every office,” Hilde says, “so this first year is about learning from The firm has appointed four pro bono everyone involved in our programme, and community investment associates building awareness of the scope of our internationally to support the central team. work and increasing our commitment, As Franz says, “they have a vital role to play involvement and impact.” in making sure we’re responding to the most pressing needs of local communities, and developing relationships with pro bono partners to create opportunities for everyone in our offices to participate in – as well as mobilising international teams to deliver multi-jurisdictional projects.” allenovery.com 7 Across our network Continuing support for refugees on Greek islands One of the most ambitious and support services, which may also have collaborative pro bono projects of to be relocated. In Samos – the second recent years has won four major awards, island on which asylum seekers are being recognising both the complexity and supported – the overcrowded camp is still News impact of its work to support refugees under Covid-19 lockdown (made worse by stranded on the Greek islands. torrential rain and flooding) meaning access is very restricted and fewer cases can from the network Since August last year, the Greece Pro be processed. Bono Collaborative Project has brought together volunteer lawyers from A&O and Despite these challenges, the volunteers The Greece Pro Bono Collaborative five other firms – Orrick, Herrington & have supported an estimated 1,400 asylum Project has won four significant awards Sutcliffe; Dentons; Ashurst; White & Case; seekers to date, with advice bringing and Charles Russell Speechlys – with the around 30% greater chance of refugees in recent months: NGOs, European Lawyers in Lesvos (ELIL) securing asylum and avoiding return and Refugee Legal Support, to provide to countries where they face potential – Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Europe urgent help for vulnerable refugees. persecution and harm. 2020 – Innovation in Social Responsibility So far, 50 volunteers from the six firms As Philip Worthington, Managing Director (overall category winner) have been trained, each initially spending of ELIL, says: “Despite the many challenges – Legal Week Legal Innovation Awards 2020 – two weeks on the island of Lesvos to – from working in a completely different CSR Innovation (Multi-Firm) provide advice on, for example, preparing area of law, to handling situations with for first-instance asylum interviews and really vulnerable clients in an unpredictable – PILnet 2020 Pro Bono Publico Award family reunification applications. environment – we have been overwhelmed – The Lawyer Awards 2020 – Highly Commended by the level of interest and commitment Since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis, for Pro Bono Initiative of the Year from lawyers wanting to volunteer. volunteers have been continuing to provide Their determination to make a meaningful support virtually, but in September a huge difference is what’s made this project fire destroyed the entire Moria camp on successful so far – and we expect the need Lesvos, leaving its 13,000 occupants for it will remain for a long time to come.” without access to food, water, shelter, medical supplies or sanitation. Most people Read A&O counsel Geert Glas’ account of have now been moved to a new camp his experiences on Lesvos in the last issue on the island but this means a winter of Increasing Access, and our first article on spent in tents and harder access to ELIL’s the project here. 8 Increasing Access | Dec 2020-May 2021 Pro bono support for Black Lives Matter and racial equity in the U.S. Flexible social finance for the Covid-19 recovery In the context of the Black Lives Matter and anti- In another related project for the Association of Access, the Foundation for Social “The second phase is a much racism demonstrations seen around the world Pro Bono Counsel’s (APBCo) Racial Justice Investment, works to make bigger programme of work to this year, law firms have an important role to Working Groups, we are involved in the creation charities and social enterprises shape the sector’s long-term play in providing increased pro bono support for of Race Equity Resource Guides on voting rights, in England more self-reliant and recovery by making more patient organisations working to tackle systemic racial education, environmental justice, child poverty financially resilient.