Pro Bono at A&O Warsaw
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Publications: 23 February 2023
One year on: A&O’s global pro bono legal support for Ukrainian refugees
At Allen & Overy Warsaw, pro bono work has always been close to our heart. With the global pandemic, it became more important than ever to reach those in need.
During this time, A&O staff have been involved in plenty of joint and individual pro bono initiatives.
Last year we focused on two areas: supporting communities struggling as a result of Covid-19, where we combined community investment contributions with financial support, and projects in which our lawyers could share their knowledge and experience.
We competed in virtual marathons and raised funds to provide over 650 dinners for Warsaw hospitals caring for Covid-19 patients.
Our people sit on the jury for the Social and Legal Oxford Debate Tournament organized by the Court Watch Polska Foundation. Last year, debates were carried out virtually in eight groups of future students.
Our competition lawyers conducted a one-year educational program for students from Polish universities, which allowed them to learn about Polish competition law. The program ended with a moot court competition and demonstrated that remote learning can not only be valuable but also stimulating.
Together with other businesses we joined the Helpdesk for Kids initiative, which supports children whose education was severely affected by Covid-19. As part of this project, we raised funds to provide children with equipment for remote learning – an essential part of the current educational model.
We were delighted to be able to lend our support to: Szkoła Podstawowa Specjalna nr 244 in Warsaw, Centrum Praw Kobiet, Teatr Witkacego in Zakopane and the initiative Szlachetna Paczka. These projects simply made us happier, especially in the preparations for Christmas.
Finally, we participated in the pomagamy-wygrywamy.pl initiative and supported three Covid hospitals (Radomski Szpital Specjalistyczny im. dr. Tytusa Chałubińskiego, Szpital Powiatowy w Kozienicach and Specjalistyczny Szpital Wojewódzki w Ciechanowie) by purchasing food, sanitary products and medical equipment for them.
Marta Sendrowicz, pro bono partner at Allen & Overy Warsaw, commented: “Pro bono work unites us in our efforts to help those in need. We hope that our initiatives in 2021 will bring us closer to each other, even if it is remotely.”