Overview
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK (November 5, 2014)—McDermott Will & Emery has been named “International Firm of the Year” by TrustLaw, an arm of the Thomson Reuters Foundation that promotes social and environmental change by connecting pro bono clients with the best law firms in the world. McDermott was selected for this prestigious award from among the hundreds of law firms worldwide that work with TrustLaw.
The award specifically recognizes McDermott’s hard work and commitment in assisting NGOs and social enterprises across the globe over the past year. Partners Martyn Gowar and Richard Cook accepted the award on behalf of the Firm.
“Pro bono service is truly part of our DNA and central to our mission as a Firm,” said Peter J. Sacripanti, co-chair of McDermott Will & Emery. “Our work with TrustLaw is compelling evidence of the power we have – collectively and as individuals – to make a positive difference on a global scale.”
Co-chair Jeffrey E. Stone praised the Firm’s pro bono commitment and said, “Congratulations to the many members of the McDermott family whose outstanding legal work and extraordinary dedication to pro bono service has helped so many others around the world.”
Through McDermott’s partnership with TrustLaw, lawyers and staff members from practice groups and offices across the Firm have assisted on projects involving human rights, IP, energy, employment, commercial transactions and tax issues. These projects have included:
- Data protection advice for a non-profit working to eliminate modern-day slavery in China, Laos and Myanmar;
- Structuring and tax advice for an agricultural non-profit supporting small-scale farmers in Mali and Senegal;
- Advice on solar tax credits for a cooperative supporting sustainable solar energy solutions; and
- Advice on compensation and court procedures for a non-profit supporting child victims of sexual abuse
This year, with McDermott’s support, TrustLaw launched its Pro Bono Index, a new measure that seeks to promote pro bono legal work globally by gauging its reach and actual impact on a country-by-country basis. Reflecting the depth and breadth of our commitment, McDermott ranked eighth on this inaugural Index in the U.S., second in the U.K., eighth in Belgium, third in France, second in Germany, third in Italy and fifth in China.
As a leading international law firm, McDermott is committed to pro bono service on a worldwide scale. In fact, McDermott was recently ranked second among the 100 firms comprising The American Lawyer’s “Global 100 Pro Bono Commitment” list. McDermott’s 2013 pro bono and volunteer service touched over seventy countries and is highlighted in the 2013 Social Responsibility Report, which displays the Firm’s global dedication to pro bono legal work, volunteerism, philanthropy, and the promotion of diversity and environmental stewardship.
Click here to view a brief video describing McDermott’s collaboration with TrustLaw.
About McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. Numbering more than 1,100 lawyers, we have offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. Further extending our reach into Asia, we have a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.
