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Left to right:
Ambassador Jones; Paula Samper; Todd
Crider; Guillermo Morales |
The Pro Bono Declaration for the
Americas was formally introduced on
January 22, 2008 at an event
co-organized by the Vance Center and the
Americas Society/Council of the
Americas. It brought together more than
a hundred U.S. and foreign attorneys for
a moderated panel discussion and
reception. The Declaration, which is the
product of pro bono initiatives
throughout Latin America that began in
2001, defines the obligation of lawyers
to engage in pro bono work and sets
specific standards for meeting this
responsibility.
With over three hundred
signatories—ranging from law firms and
private bar lawyers to bar associations,
law schools and NGOs—the Declaration
binds these supporters to the concept of
pro bono, as well as to a specific
pledge of twenty pro bono hours per
lawyer per year. “That so many people
and organizations have signed up is a
tremendous achievement,” said Eric
Ordway, a partner at Weil Gotshal &
Manges. “This is a sign of deep change
in the practice of pro bono in Latin
America.”
The Declaration represents a defining
moment in the six countries—Argentina,
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and
Peru—that the signatories and members of
the Drafting Committee are from, where
the notion of pro bono was unknown until
recently. Nonetheless, major firms, bar
associations, law schools and NGOs have
recognized that lawyers have both the
ability and responsibility to address
social and economic conditions, and that
the Declaration is an important tool
towards achieving that goal.
This event
was followed by a breakfast round table
the next day at Weil Gotshal & Manges,
where more than forty Latin American
associates gathered to address its
implementation. A panel of speakers,
including Martin Böhmer,
Antonio Meyer, Guillermo Morales, Eric
Ordway and Paula Samper, provided useful
insight on setting up mechanisms and
procedures to efficiently identify,
refer and monitor pro bono cases, in
order for signatories to comply with the
Declaration commitment.
These two events, which successfully
marked the North American launch of the
Declaration, provided lawyers and other
access to justice advocates with the
opportunity to forge the relationships
that are needed to address the unmet
legal needs of the poor and
disadvantaged.
Read
related articles:
"A
Common Obligation," New York Law
Journal. January 25, 2008.
"Pro
Bono Declaration Launched," Latin
Lawyer Online. January 24, 2008. |
