PARTNERSHIP IS FUNDAMENTAL FOR THE VANCE CENTER. It is a goal, as well as a method, of our work. We work with many different partners in all of our activities:
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Law Firms & Clearinghouses
The Vance Center’s partnerships with law firms throughout the world enables us to provide pro bono legal representation to our clients. Our own lawyers work with clients to identify their needs, and we then invite law firms to work on the projects with us. Some call for only one law firm, but most often several firms form a team, analyzing the laws of as many or more countries. In such multi-jurisdictional matters, a U.S. law firm, usually one represented on the Vance Center Committee, acts as coordinating counsel.
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Pro Bono Network of the Americas
The Pro Bono Network of the Americas was born in 2011 as an informal collaborative mechanism between lawyers, NGOs, pro bono initiatives and other actors in the pro bono field across the Americas to strengthen access to justice promote respect for human rights and promote the rule of law and democracy in the Americas.
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Supporters
The pro bono work of law firms on our projects is invaluable. In monetary terms, just what law firms in the United States produce exceeds $6 million annually. Firms outside of the United States often do not calculate a value for their pro bono work, but it’s also worth millions to us.
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Hundreds of law firms throughout the world collaborate on our pro bono legal representation of civil society organizations and international human rights bodies. The law firms represented on the Vance Center Committee are particularly active and supportive.
We work closely with pro bono clearinghouses worldwide to organize the collaboration of law firms on our projects. These clearinghouses similarly join us in initiatives to promote pro bono practice, through conferences, exchanges of best practices, and establishment of new clearinghouses. With Fundacion Pro Bono Chile, we lead the Pro Bono Network of the Americas, which includes ten more clearinghouse organizations, with others under development.
We similarly collaborate actively with bar associations throughout the world, acting as an international programmatic representative of the New York City Bar Association, a world leader in pro bono practice, ethics, diversity, and promotion of the rule of law and fundamental human rights. We organize and join delegations to study challenges to the rule of law and fundamental human rights, as well as encourage other bar associations to institutionalize pro bono practice and diversity among their memberships.