Greenberg Traurig Mexico honoured by USAID, Appleseed for pro bono work
The Mexico City office of Greenberg Traurig has been honoured by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Appleseed Foundation Mexico for its pro bono work
The recognition follows the culmination of a four-year joint pro bono program dedicated to strengthening Mexican civic organisations.
The Appleseed Foundation is a civic organisation that provides pro bono legal services to institutions and to advance social issues that impact the community. The foundation is a pioneer and a leader in the area of pro bono work in Mexico, the law firm said.
During a virtual ceremony held in mid-August, Maru Cortazar, head of Fundación Appleseed México, and Bruce Adams, USAID Mexico deputy director, acknowledged the contributions of Mexican law firms that helped to achieve the program’s objectives and provided assistance to civic organisations in Mexico City, as well as throughout the country’s northern states.
Representatives from various civic organisations expressed their gratitude and explained how the pro bono legal advice has strengthened their organizations.
During the event, Greenberg Traurig Mexico City office shareholder Víctor Manuel Frías (pictured), who leads the office’s pro bono efforts, shared some of the attorneys’ experiences during the pro bono project.
“We are grateful for the experiences that we shared with Appleseed and USAID, and are happy to positively contribute to our community,” Frías said. “It was equally rewarding to witness the increased support of the project from other firms in Mexico City, and we are looking forward to the continued success of civic organisations that are making an impact in our community.”
As part of this project, attorneys from the firm’s Mexico City office dedicated more than 600 hours from 2017 to 2020 to 12 civic associations. They provided legal advice to address a variety of issues, including human rights, corporate and tax obligations, data privacy, and anti-money laundering matters.
“At Greenberg Traurig we are dedicated to providing pro bono legal support as part of our efforts to give back to our communities. It’s satisfying to see that in Mexico our pro bono work stands out for being transformational,” said Elba B. Gutiérrez, an associate and pro bono coordinator in the Mexico City office.
“We are particularly proud of the work we have done to institutionalize and professionalize the efforts made by women living in highly vulnerable neighbourhoods in the state of Sonora that provides mediation services to their communities. Through our efforts we helped them to promote self-employment and legal empowerment.”
Over the past year, Greenberg Traurig’s Mexico City office’s Pro Bono Program has been awarded with the “Pro Bono Program of the Year” at Chambers and Partners Diversity & Inclusion Latin America Awards 2019, and received Latin Lawyer’s “ro Bono Law Firm of the Year Award in March 2020 in March 2020. Greenberg Traurig was the first law firm in Mexico to sign a collaboration agreement with Mexico City’s Human Rights Commission, and with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Among its many important pro bono efforts, the Greenberg Traurig team has handled almost 70 cases pro bono from the UNHCR to achieve the recognition of the refugee status of Central American and African migrants.
Greenberg Traurig lawyers across the firm’s offices provide pro bono legal services to the indigent and working poor, as well as to numerous civic and charitable organizations dedicated to assisting them. The firm focuses its resources on specialized and interrelated issues including civil rights and affirmative action, anti-human trafficking, family law matters, criminal appeals, immigration and political asylum, housing, and homelessness.
