Dechert has been recognized as winner of the “Best Contribution by a Large Law Firm” category at the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards 2024. LawWorks, a UK legal charity, established the awards to celebrate outstanding achievement in the pro bono legal sector.
Dechert’s lawyers undertake a diverse range of pro bono matters, reflecting the varying needs of the community and the broad range of skills sets and interests of its lawyers. In 2023, the firm advised UnLtd on a joint venture with Big Issue Invest to establish a £25 million evergreen fund which invests in diverse led social enterprises tackling poverty and inequality and since then has advised the fund on eight new investments.
Dechert has also advised on compensation claims for those affected by the Windrush scandal, working in collaboration with GMIAU and seven other law firms. The firm is currently working on a further research project on the value of legal advice in Windrush Compensation Scheme applications with JUSTICE and the University of Sussex.
Since 2017, Dechert has worked with KIND UK and Central England Law Centre to help undocumented children apply for British citizenship. In the past year, 11 successful applications have been completed, with a further ten awaiting a decision from the Home Office and an additional 20 active cases.
In 2023, Dechert’s London office provided over 15,600 hours of pro bono advice—an average of 95 hours per lawyer.
Dechert also participated in a multi-firm collaboration with the Max Planck Foundation that was “Highly Commended” in the “Best International Pro Bono Award” category. The project assists lawyers at risk in Afghanistan with applications to a resettlement scheme in Germany.
In the “Pro Bono Connect Award” category, a Dechert team (Daniel Natoff, Harley Evans and Annabelle Nelsson) was also named finalist for successfully defending a single mother facing financial ruin in a court dispute spanning three years.
Winners of the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards 2024 were recognized at an awards ceremony on December 4 at the Law Society in London.
About Dechert
Dechert is a global law firm that advises asset managers, financial institutions and corporations on issues critical to managing their business and their capital – from high-stakes litigation to complex transactions and regulatory matters. We answer questions that seem unsolvable, develop deal structures that are new to the market and protect clients' rights in extreme situations. Our nearly 1,000 lawyers across 19 offices globally focus on the financial services, private equity, private credit, real estate, life sciences and technology sectors.
