Vance Center Organizes Pro Bono Events in Brazil
[Photo Credit: Jorge Escobedo]
The Vance Center and clearinghouse members of the Pro Bono Network of the Americas jointly organized pro bono events in São Paulo, Brazil.
Panelists from Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico and the United States., participated in the event entitled “Pro Bono & ESG in Latin America: A Law Firm Perspective”. Hosted by Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr e Quiroga Advogados, the discussion centered on the expertise Latin American law firms’ clients increasingly seek with respect to Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) and how this practice area intersects with the robust pro bono infrastructure in the region. Participants described the additional synergies between law firms and clients that the focus on ESG creates.
Allen & Overy partner and Vance Center Committee Member David Flechner, Beccar Varela partner and Comisión Pro Bono president Fernanda Mierez, partner Juliana Gomes Ramalho Monteiro, Norton Rose Fulbright partner and Centro Mexicano Pro Bono board chair Andrés Nieto, and Pérez, Bustamante & Ponce partner Sandra Reed Serrano participated in the event.
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Vance Center Director of Pro Bono Partnerships Jorge Escobedo delivered remarks at Latin Lawyer’s 16th annual awards ceremony in São Paulo, encouraging law firms to reaffirm their commitment to pro bono practice in collaboration with the three clearinghouses honored at the awards ceremony: Centro Mexicano Pro Bono, Argentina’s Comisión de Trabajo Pro Bono e Interés Público and Brazil’s Instituto Pro Bono. Escobedo highlighted the exemplary pro bono efforts of the more than 200 law firms participating in the most recent Vance Center/Latin Lawyer annual pro bono survey.
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Moderated by Shearman & Sterling Of Counsel and Vance Center Executive Sub-Committee Member Antonia Stolper and hosted by Norton Rose Fulbright, the Vance Center co-organized the breakfast panel “New Connections: Pro Bono Engagement Between Firms and Corporate Counsel in Brazil.”
Centro Mexicano Pro Bono executive director Ivette Montero, Comisión de Trabajo Pro Bono e Interés Público executive director Delfina Balestra and Instituto Pro Bono deputy director Rebecca Groterhorst related their experiences in formalizing pro bono efforts between law firms and in-house legal departments. U.S., Argentinian and Mexican clearinghouse representatives shared best practices and key advice in setting up these partnerships. They described the amplified impact such joint efforts produce for pro bono clients. Corporate counsel at Syngenta and Uber attended the breakfast panel and will explore further pro bono collaboration with Instituto Pro Bono and Brazilian law firms.
The Vance Center thanks Centro Mexicano Pro Bono board chair Andrés Nieto for hosting the event.