Pro Bono Efforts Honored at Global Legal Awards

 
A team of Latham & Watkins lawyers received the Grand Prize in Citizenship at The American Lawyer’s Global Legal Awards in recognition of the firm’s pro bono work on behalf of refugees in the European Union. The annual awards honor and recognize “matters that demonstrate the industry’s ability to navigate complex international legal issues” in a number of categories. Latham was singled out for its expansive efforts to address the Syrian refugee crisis. 

In addition to the Grand Prize, Latham won the Global Pro Bono Deal of the Year, for the firm’s pro bono counsel of Mera Gao Power, a social enterprise that provides energy services to villages in rural India. Latham teams were also recognized as honorees in the Global Finance Deal of the Year: Acquisition Finance and Global Finance Deal of the Year: Insolvency and Restructuring (Africa) categories.

Latham has taken a multifaceted approach to addressing the displacement of millions of people as a result of the Syrian Civil War. Our lawyers have advised newly arrived refugees on their rights, volunteered at immigration law clinics and co-led seminars on the asylum application process, and counseled several humanitarian organizations who work on the ground in Syria and other conflict zones, including CARE USA, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and Mercy Corps.

We also worked on an urgent, high-priority project for the International Rescue Commission connected to the EU-Turkey Summit and negotiations regarding the refugee crisis. Latham’s research and analysis helped the IRC as it made recommendations to the European Council about the plight of refugees in the EU and Turkey in real time during the summit. (Click here to learn more about the firm’s work on behalf of IRC.)

London partner Helena Potts, who led the firm’s work for IRC, noted, “We are privileged to use our legal skills and the resources of our firm to help those most in need. Latham has long offered pro bono counsel to refugees and asylum seekers around the world, and we are very honored to recognized by The American Lawyer for our work in this area.”