First Law Firm to Receive Prestigious Award
(Lawfuel) – Chicago, June 4, 2008 –Baker & McKenzie has become the first law firm to receive a Corporate Responsibility Award from the Foreign Policy Association (FPA). The honor was bestowed at the FPA’s 90th annual dinner last week in New York City. Shell Oil Company and John Deere & Company were also honored at the event.
“We are truly grateful to the Foreign Policy Association for recognizing and honoring our social responsibility efforts throughout the world,” said John Conroy, Baker & McKenzie’s Chairman of the Executive Committee. “This kind of recognition is particularly rewarding because it reinforces our commitment to provide legal support for a variety of initiatives to promote the rule of law globally, including peace negotiations in conflict-stricken parts of the world, legal frameworks needed for emerging nation-states, and micro-finance facilities to empower the poor in various countries throughout the world. We have an extraordinary opportunity to use our global resources, talents and competencies for the greater good.”
Baker & McKenzie’s social responsibility initiatives worldwide focus on four primary areas: pro bono legal services, diversity efforts, sustainability initiatives and community service. In pro bono, the Firm has worked closely with the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) and the United Nations Committee for the Legal Empowerment of the Poor (UNCLEP) on the legal aspects of some of the most complex and profoundly important social and geopolitical matters today. These include working to help resolve conflicts from Sri Lanka to the Sudan; assisting with rebuilding laws and government in Nepal; establishing and protecting legal rights in Kosovo, Iraq and other countries; and authoring reports on access to justice and rule of law for the poor.
“We have benefited tremendously from Baker & McKenzie’s pro bono support. They have provided research assistance, as well as expert advice on relevant technical issues for our Working Group on Access to Justice and the Rule of Law, and their overall support was of great value. This award is well deserved,” said Naresh Singh, Executive Director of UNCLEP.
Recently, UNCLEP officially released the Report titled, “Making the Law Work for Everyone” at the United Nation Headquarters in New York. More than 40 Baker & McKenzie lawyers from seven offices in North America, Europe and Asia assisted with the Report, providing advice on various issues, including ending legal exclusion, overcoming the lack of legal knowledge and knowledge of the legal system, expanding access to legal services, and improving the quality of justice. The report is accessible at http://www.undp.org/legalempowerment/report/.
Past recipients of the FPA Corporate Social Responsibility Award include Carlson, Honeywell International, Intel Corporation, Royal Bank of Scotland, The Bank of New York, Lehman Brothers, and The New York Times Company.
The FPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring the American public to learn more about the world. Founded in 1918, the FPA provides independent publications, programs and forums to increase public awareness of, and foster popular participation in, matters relating to those policy issues.
