Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation 2013 Awards

(Washington, D.C. -- June 5, 2013)  The Fourth Annual Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation Awards were presented by the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation during the 2013 Lex Mundi Leadership Summit and Annual Conference in Amsterdam. These awards honor Lex Mundi member law firms that have provided critical pro bono legal services – helping to strengthen the global rule of law, the global social entrepreneurship movement and improve the lives of the world’s poor and disenfranchised.

The Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation (the "Foundation") was proud to honor the following 2013 award recipients:

• Latin America / Caribbean: Mayora & Mayora, S.C., Lex Mundi member firm for Guatemala

• Asia/Pacific: RIAALAW, Lex Mundi member firm for Pakistan

• North America:  Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP, Lex Mundi member firm for USA, North Carolina

• Europe: Maclay Murray & Spens LLP, Lex Mundi member firm for Scotland

“The Foundation celebrates the incredible contributions Lex Mundi member law firms are making around the world," said the Foundation's Managing Director, Chloe Holderness. "The 2013 honorees are innovators in strengthening the global pro bono culture and have provided meaningful change in communities around the world.”  

Examples of the diverse group of entrepreneurs supported by the honorees include organizations such as:

EducarUno believes that quality education is the greatest hope for humanity. They are developing new and innovative educational models designed to reach the greatest number of children and have the greatest positive impact. Their latest program, “Diseña el Cambio” (Design Change), empowers students to change their environment for the better by motivating them to think what changes they would like to see in their communities and then design and implement a project to achieve the change.

Ashoka is the largest network of social entrepreneurs worldwide, with nearly 3,000 Ashoka Fellows in 70 countries putting their system changing ideas into practice on a global scale.  Ashoka Fellows in Pakistan have created wide scale impact for equal rights and opportunities through the fields of education, health, human rights, civic engagement and finance.

Welcoming America is a national, grassroots-driven collaborative that works to promote mutual respect and cooperation between foreign-born and U.S.-born Americans. The ultimate goal of Welcoming America is to create a welcoming atmosphere – community by community – in which immigrants are more likely to integrate into the social fabric of their adopted hometowns.

Mobius Motors designs, manufactures and sells highly functional, highly affordable vehicles as a transportation platform empowering local entrepreneurs to mobilize the developing world. They are reinventing the car and achieving their vision of a more mobile, more prosperous Africa.

Many other social entrepreneur organizations with a wide range of critical pro bono legal needs have benefited from services provided by the honorees and other Lex Mundi member firms. The pro bono commitment made by members has enabled these organizations and many others to deepen their impact and improve communities and lives around the world.

About the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation

The Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading network of independent law firms.  The Foundation’s mission is to engage Lex Mundi’s global network of leading independent law firms to support and empower those working to bring about high impact and sustainable social change that improves communities and lives.  The Foundation achieves its mission through two core programs. The first program utilizes Lex Mundi lawyers to provide critical pro bono legal services to the world’s leading social entrepreneurs. The second program is a unique online legal community, LawForChange, that provides a one-stop source of free legal information and resources specifically designed to support, strengthen and empower the U.S. (and one day global) social sector. For more information, please visit www.lexmundiprobono.org and www.lawforchange.org.

About Lex Mundi

Lex Mundi is the world’s leading network of independent law firms with in-depth experience in 100+ countries. Lex Mundi member firms offer clients preferred access to more than 21,000 lawyers worldwide – a global resource of unmatched breadth and depth. Each member firm is selected on the basis of its leadership in – and continued commitment to – its local market. The Lex Mundi principle is one independent firm for each jurisdiction. Firms must maintain their level of excellence to retain membership within Lex Mundi.

Through close collaboration, information-sharing, training and inter-firm initiatives, the Lex Mundi network is an assurance of connected, on-the ground expertise in every market in which a client needs to operate. Working together, Lex Mundi members are able to seamlessly handle their clients’ most challenging cross-border transactions and disputes.

Member law firms are located throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean and North America. Through our nonprofit affiliate, the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation, members also provide pro bono legal assistance to social entrepreneurs around the globe.

For more information, please visit www.lexmundi.com and www.lexmundiprobono.org.