Values into Community Action - Tyler Foundation

Values into Community Action 

Pro Bono and Community Affairs 

Annual Report 2007/2008

2007-2008 I Values into Community Action 

Values into Community Action 

Pro Bono and Community Affairs 

Annual Report 2007/2008 

Allen & Overy LLP 

One Bishops Square 

London 

E1 6AD 

United Kingdom 

Tel +44 (0)20 3088 0000 Fax +44 (0)20 3088 0088 

© Allen & Overy LLP 2008 1

Values into Community Action | 2007-2008 

2 © Allen & Overy LLP 2008

COntents 


page 

IntRODUCtIOn 4 

GLOBAL 6 

PRO BOnO & COMMUnItY WORK WORLDWIDe 10 

Belgium 10 

China 12 

Czech Republic 14 

France 15 

Germany 17 

Hong Kong 19 

Hungary 27 

Italy 28 

Japan 29 

Luxembourg 30 

Netherlands 32 

Poland 35 

Russia 36 

Singapore 37 

Slovak Republic 38 

Spain 40 

Thailand 40 

United Arab Emirates 42 

United States 42 

UnIteD KInGDOM – COMMUnItY WORK 47 

Education 47 

General Community Work 58 

Client Collaboration Projects 59 

Work Placements 66 

Community Partner of the Year 67 

A&O Foundation 70 

Give As You Earn 70 

UnIteD KInGDOM – PRO BOnO WORK 70 

Advisory Work 70 

We Are What We Do 77 

Human Rights Work 77 

LawWorks 85 

Private Client Department 85 

US Law Group 86 

Pro Bono Work in the East End 87 

Business Development Mentoring Network 91 

APPenDICes 92 

Pro Bono and Community Work Policy 92 

Pro Bono Statistics 95 

Awards 97 

Global Community Contacts 99 



IntRODUCtIOn 

Welcome to the Pro Bono and Community Affairs Annual Report 2007/2008. Allen & Overy has an extensive 

global programme – Values into Community Action – which is an important part of who we are and the values we 

espouse. We are committed to helping the communities in which we operate which is demonstrated by the number of 

individuals from our many offices who volunteer for our schemes. 

This year has been one of substantial growth for the programme, both within countries where we have offices and as 

a global network. We are constantly working to find activities that will put our global reach and expertise to good use, 

and to create a sense of community within the firm. For example, our offices across Europe are currently working 

with a charity, Missing Children Europe (MCE), on a project to combat child pornography on the internet by cutting off 

the finances that support child pornography websites. The personal commitment, time and dedication of all our staff 

across Asia to pro bono and community work was recognised when Allen & Overy was named Asian Pro Bono Law 

Firm of the Year 2007 by the International Financial Law Review. 

Each of our offices works to develop its own programme, looking for new ways to help their local communities. In 

China, new pro bono committees have been formed in each of our offices there, to look at opportunities and to 

encourage participation. In Warsaw, a staff survey was conducted to establish which local needs and issues our staff 

wanted to support. Several of our offices are looking at how they can work with pro bono clearing houses, including 

those being established in Warsaw and Moscow by the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI), an international NGO. We 

also work with Business In The Community's ENGAGE network of brokers to help develop our programme globally by 

establishing relationships, through its local broker agencies, with NGOs and community organisations. 

We have also been working on new, innovative ways to develop relationships with our clients. Doing pro bono 

or community work together allows staff from our clients and the lawyers who work with them to develop their 

relationships in a new way, with a joint purpose in mind. In London, we have successfully delivered workshops to 

local young people on working in the City with a number of key corporate clients. We have also seconded a senior 

associate to a client to help them establish a pro bono programme for their in-house counsel, and plans are underway 

for collaborative projects in a number of European offices as a result. For our pro bono and community clients, we 

look to build meaningful, long-term relationships which add value to both parties, working to find solutions to the 

issues faced by the organisations and the people they serve. 

As well as showcasing the wide variety of activities carried out across the whole network of A&O offices, this report is 

also an opportunity for us to recognise the extraordinary commitment and energy invested by our staff in pro bono and 

community work over the past year. If you are reading this as one of our volunteers, where possible we have tried to 

recognise you individually in this report. Inevitably we have not been able to record every project, and so we would 

like to extend a “thank you” and our appreciation for the contribution you make to our local communities. 

In 2007/2008, A&Oʼs fee-earning staff spent 55,564 hours, the equivalent of £16,592,702 on pro bono and community 

work, an incredible 21% increase in time spent from last year. Globally, 56% of fee-earners participated in these 

activities. This of course does not include the enormous contribution and actual hours spent by non fee-earning staff 

who do not record their time. We are beginning to take steps in measuring their contribution, and will continue to look 

for ways in which we can include their hours in our calculations. 

Finally, we would also like to thank Guy Beringer, for his leadership and support of the Pro Bono and Community 

Affairs programme during his time as Senior Partner. His input and guidance has been invaluable in developing the 

programme. We look forward to building on that work under the guidance of the new senior partner David Morley 

and managing partner Wim Dejonghe. 

If you would like further information about A&O’s Pro Bono and Community Affairs programme, please call 

+44 (0)20 3088 0000 and ask to speak to a member of the Pro Bono and Community Affairs team in London, as listed 

below; additional information is also available at www.allenovery.com/community. 

If you would like to get involved in pro bono and community work in your local office, you will find details of who to 

contact in Appendix 4 or on the intranet. 


David Morley – Senior Partner 

Stephen Denyer – International Development Partner 

Colin Pearson – Partner and Chair of Pro Bono and Community Affairs Committee 

Pro Bono team 

Shankari Chandran – Pro Bono and Community Affairs Senior Manager 

Helen Rogers – Pro Bono and Community Affairs Officer 

Emma Shaw – Pro Bono and Community Affairs Officer 

Sue Wisbey – Pro Bono and Community Affairs Assistant 

Michelle Blythe – Pro Bono and Community Affairs Assistant 

Rachel Nicholson – Pro Bono and Community Affairs Junior Assistant 

Terri Wipperman – Personal Assistant to the Pro Bono team 


In this report references to Allen & Overy and A&O are to Allen & Overy LLP and its affiliated undertakings. 

This report is available in electronic format on A&O’s internet and intranet sites. 

This report is available for distribution to clients and other contacts of the practice. If you would like a copy, please 

contact Terri Wipperman, Personal Assistant to the Pro Bono team in the London office (+44 (0)20 3088 3762). 



GLOBAL 

We are constantly looking for pro bono and community activities which will bring many of our different offices 

together. There are few opportunities in the business to unite a large, expanding and culturally diverse practice, so 

these projects bring the firm together, engendering a sense of pride and community. These are just a few highlights 

of the multi-jurisdictional projects we have undertaken over the past year. 

MIssInG CHILDRen eUROPe 

A&O’s Brussels office has been leading a multi-jurisdictional pro bono project for Missing Children Europe (MCE), 

an umbrella organisation which brings together a pan-European network of child protection organisations. 

MCE has 21 member NGOs from 15 EU countries and it also works with EU countries who do not already have 

national centres for missing and sexually exploited children, to facilitate and stimulate national initiatives for their 

development. MCE also works with organisations in the US, where a financial coalition has been created to try 

to stop child pornography on the internet. 

A&O has a long-standing relationship with MCE, through Child Focus, a Belgian NGO that helped to develop MCE 

as a Europe-wide network. A&O has been providing pro bono support to Child Focus for many years, and recently 

also to MCE. Francis Herbert, a former Partner in the Brussels office, joined MCE in 2008 as its Secretary General, 

following his retirement from the firm. 

MCE is looking to replicate the US financial coalition in Europe, and is working with the authorities, European Commission 

and the banks, credit cards and other payment services. The aim is to be able to trace the perpetrators of internet child 

pornography through the payment services and systems, and to also follow the money flow and close down payment 

accounts. This requires the co-operation of the credit card companies, banks and internet payment facilitators. 

Lawyers from all of A&O’s European offices (except Moscow) are assisting MCE with this project, by looking at the 

legal frameworks of member states and their interaction with EU directives, data protection, e-commerce, IP, criminal 

procedure and banking laws. The due diligence work on the legal frameworks is now completed and a legal report 

has been published which will be used by the EC and the financial coalition. A&O will continue to work with MCE and 

the various institutions involved to draw together the coalition and to help it act. 

The project has been led from the Brussels office by Beatrice Vos and the lawyers who have been involved are: 

Charlotte Beauchataud, Lien Delvoye, ettore Frustaci, Gergely Juhasz, Jonathan Kirsop, Ivan Kisely, 

Alexander Kraemer, Quinten Kroes, Peter Kubina, Joachin Lehnhardt, Jorge Manzarbeita, 

Massimiliano Molinari, Deirdre Moynihan, thierry schiltz, Willem Van De Wiele, Peter Van Dyck and 

Katarzyna Zbierska. 


VALID nUtRItIOn 


Valid Nutrition, a not-for-profit humanitarian company, now registered as a charity, was set up in 2005. The goal of 

Valid Nutrition is to provide appropriate foods for the treatment and prevention of malnutrition to all those who need 

them. Valid Nutrition’s branded range of Ready to Use Foods (RUF) recipes, made in developing countries out of 

locally grown crops, will reduce the cost and extend access to RUF, whilst channelling economic benefits back to 

local manufacturers and farmers. 

Lawyers from our Paris office assisted Valid Nutrition in its negotiations with Nutriset SA, a French-based 

manufacturer that has designed and patented RUFs. The granting of a licence by Nutriset SA to Valid Nutrition 

covering peanut-based RUFs enabled Valid Nutrition to produce and sell such products in Africa. 

Following on from the work done by our French lawyers, A&O lawyers in the UK then assisted Valid Nutrition with the 

development, negotiation and finalisation of the legal documentation relating to a significant collaboration involving 

manufacturing of RUFs in the East African Region (including Eritrea, Somalia, Southern Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, 

Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Madagascar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo) and also the undertaking of joint 

research into cheaper, new RUF products. Our IP lawyers in the London office reviewed the IP provisions in the 

Joint Venture agreement. 

The lawyers involved are: Bianca Achilles, Ahmad Baladi, emmanuelle Bartoli, Peter Harper, Kunthea Ker 

and Jennifer Lovell. The work was referred to A&O by Advocates for International Development (A4ID), a broker 

organisation that helps development NGOs access the pro bono expertise of lawyers globally. Further information 

about A4ID can be found in the UK Pro Bono Work section of this report. 

“I just wanted to extend a very sincere and warm thanks to you for your really excellent support over the past few 

months in finalising the process, and your sensitivity in dealing with the issues and Nutriset. As you know this patent 

was a central issue blocking the progress and expansion of VN and your help to solve it has been incredibly valuable 

to us and our mission. We were extremely pleased with the process and all your support.” Derek Staveley, CEO of 

Valid Nutrition (former Finance Director of Unilever in Zaire, Turkey and Ireland). 

GOAL4AFRICA 

Goal4Africa is a recently established Dutch charity, which aims to use the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa as 

a means of raising funds for and awareness of child poverty in Africa. It’s “goal scoring” campaign will be kicked off 

at Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations on 18 July 2008, and also with a football match in Munich between 

teams of world class players, and will run right up until the tournament in 2010. 

The idea is to mobilise as many of the estimated 10 million football fans world wide to each give a little, motivated by 

goals, for this good cause. For example: 

n A grandmother could make a donation for every goal her 

grandson scores for his school team; 

n A company in Madrid could contribute €10 for each goal 

scored by their local team in the Spanish national 

football league; 

n A European national team could donate €1,000 for every 

goal they score in the World Cup qualification matches. 

Goal4Africa has been set up as a foundation in the 

Netherlands and as a charity in Germany, and is in the 

process of registering itself as a charity in the UK, USA 

and South Africa. Allen & Overy's office in Amsterdam was 

approached via a client contact to assist the organisation as 

it develops, with scope for a large number of our offices to 

get involved. 



We have been asked to provide assistance in the following areas: 

n To draw up the contractual framework between the different national organisations of Goal4Africa and to give 

assistance with their corporate governance; 

n In New York, to assist in setting up a “Friends of Goal4Africa” foundation and applying for charitable status; 

n In Spain and Italy, to advise on tax efficient methods of fundraising. 

So far this interesting cross-border pro bono project is still at its early stages in development, and to date the 

following offices are involved: Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan and New York. 

The project is being led by partner John Brouwer from the Amsterdam office and the following people are also involved: 

James Burton, Vanessa Cuellas, Dimitrios efstathiou, Mercedes Ferrer, Alice Gamble, Giovanni Gazzaniga, 

Francesco Guelfi, Jack Heinberg, David Lewis, Asmus Mihm, Zorka Milin, susanne Muench, Colin Pearson, 

Ken Rivlin, Ishtar sancho, eduardo sebastian De erice, John springett, esther stam, Ryan Velo-simpson, 

Alexander Wuepper and Louise Zekaria. 

CeeLI InstItUte 

A&O has helped the CEELI Institute to update a course on EU Commercial Law. Based in Prague, CEELI is a 

not-for-profit institution promoting the rule of law and access to justice, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. 

It was originally founded under the umbrella of the American Bar Association, but now has a wide range of sponsors. 

Francis Herbert from our Brussels office revised the content of the course for CEELI and then the course itself was 

delivered to judges from south-eastern Europe, and in particular from the Balkans, by John Wotton from the London 

office and Marta sendrowicz from Warsaw. 

WORLD BAnK 

For the third year running, A&O lawyers in 18 of our offices took part in the World Bank Doing Business Project. 

Over 100 lawyers participated, researching laws and regulations in most countries in which we have a presence. 

The findings are used by the World Bank to promote legislative and economic reform in the developing world. 

Surveys were completed this year for the following jurisdictions: Belgium, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, 

Hungary, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom. 

Those who helped to complete submissions and to coordinate the project include: 

steffan Adfeldt, salam Alsmadi, Rosanna Arleo, Juan Barona, Jan Basl, Agnes Bejo, Julianna Bendek, 

Fabian Beullekens, Dominique Bornert, Jean-François Bouchoms, sabah Boughida, simone Bova, 

Karol Brzoskowski, Melina Cedron Cristobal, May Chiu, Anusara Chokvanitphong, Joseph Chun, 

Roberto Concha, Rafael Cruz, Vanessa Cuellas, Martine Da Costa, Joanna Danilowicz, Pieter De Bock, 

Pieter De Koster, Luc Demeyere, Christiane Denzle, Amand-Benoît D’Hondt, Azadeh Djazayeri, Michal Dusek, 

Ann-Marie eben, Marton eorsi, Karen etienne-sloan, Anne-Laurence Faroux, Ghram Gazelle Mok, 

Ruth Gonzalez, Moira Guitart, nick Herrod, Alistair Hill, Peter Hoegen, serge Hoffman, Ignacio Hornedo, 

Zora Hruba, Jaroslaw Iwanicki, sophie Jacmain, Antonella Jannelli, Alison Jensen, Gergely Juhasz, 

Wataru Kamoto, Balazs Kantor, ewa Kedzierska, Mahmoud Kherallah, Gabriella Kiss, Ivan Koh, Reiko Koizumi, 

stephanie Kwara, Laszlo Lehmann, Kai Zee Liew, Palida Limsiriwat, Victoria Lopez-Agudo, Michael Loy, 

Claire Mahaux, Mark Mansell, Jorge Manzarbeita, Carmen Martinez, Céline Masschelein, Helene Missamou, 

Rachel nicholson, Arkadiusz Pedzich, David Por, Ann Quatacker, Prakash Raja segaran, stephen Richards, 

Louise Ridgwick, Jean-Claude Rivalland, Daniel Roberts, sophie Rutten, Balazs sahin-toth, Pilar sanchez, 

Ishtar sancho, Attila sari, Pierre schleimer, eduardo sebastian De erice, Frank shu, James simpson, 

sarjit singh Gill, Jan skuhravy, Zara spencer, Rachel storr, Dumnern subpaisarn, emese szabo, 

Filip tanghe, Jan taubel, sirinuch teosirimongkol, Zsolt tolnai, Cyrille tonnelet, Maria trombetta, 

Francesca turitto, Pierre Van Den Brule, Antonio Vazquez-Guillen, Beatrice Vos, eva Vrana, Petr Vybiral, 

Henri Wagner, Oliver Waldburg, tim Watson, Catherine Weller, Deborah Wilcher, David Williams, 

sarah Wilson, Jennifer Winkler, Ariella Woitchik, Cecilia Zamori, Katarzyna Zbierska, Hui Zheng, 

Florian Ziegler and Isabell Zimmer. 


AWARDs 


A&O does not seek public recognition of its Pro Bono and Community Affairs Programme, but is delighted to receive 

awards which acknowledge the contribution and commitment of all those who volunteer. 

In February 2008, the firm was awarded the Asian Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year Award from leading independent 

publisher, International Financial Law Review (IFLR). This pan-Asian award reflects the time, commitment and 

dedication of all of our staff across Asia to pro bono and community work. The judges commented that A&O stood 

out above all other law firms for the comprehensive nature of our giving. We were particularly praised for our 

volunteering work across Asia where in the past 12 months we have actively supported over 20 charitable groups in 

their work for the disadvantaged, elderly and children. 

A&Oʼs global policy of 25 hours billable credit for pro bono and community work, introduced in 2006/7, was 

commended by the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards 2007 in their Pro Bono/CSR category. 

In an effort to recognise and promote good corporate citizenship, the Hong Kong Council of Social Services has 

continued its Caring Company scheme for the sixth year. The Hong Kong office was delighted to be nominated 

for this award by both the Hans Andersen Club and Community Business Limited, and has been awarded 

Caring Company Status for the sixth year running. 

The UK officeʼs Impact Endorsement Mark by Business in the Community awarded for its work in raising the 

aspirations and achievements of young people was reaccredited in 2008, in the Merrill Lynch Investing in 

Young People category. 

We were also awarded the IFLR European Pro Bono Award for our work on the DB Microfinance deal. BlueOrchard 

Loans for Development 2007, a securitisation of loans to microfinance institutions, on which we advised on a part 

pro bono basis, won the 2008 Sustainable Deal of the Year award at the FT Sustainable Banking Awards. 

For a full list of awards received for A&O's Pro Bono and Community Affairs Programme, please see Appendix 3. 



PRO BOnO & COMMUnItY WORK WORLDWIDe 

BeLGIUM 

Helga Van Peer is now the partner responsible for the Belgian Pro Bono Board, after Francis Herbert’s retirement 

in January 2008. The other members are Peter Bienenstock, Dirk Meeus (who succeeded Wim Dejonghe after 

his election to Global Managing Partner), Filip tanghe, Filip stuer and Beatrice Vos (Pro Bono Co-ordinator). 

The Board decides on priorities and selects projects based on the proposals it receives. As the Board believes pro 

bono involvement must remain a question of personal choice according to an individual's interests, its role is limited 

to supporting financial, legal or community action projects in which members of A&O are involved. 

OVK-PeVR 

The Belgian offices have a close working relationship with an association for parents of young road victims (OVK-PEVR). 

It advises on legal issues in order to assist road victims and victims of acts of violence and to improve the Belgian 

traffic code and its enforcement by police and judicial authorities. The association was restructured in 2004 and 

now employs a full-time manager, a project assistant and two co-ordinators as local contacts with the families of 

the victims. Until January 2006 A&O provided the association with free office space, secretarial and some logistical 

support, as well as free legal advice. OVK-PEVR has now moved to new premises, but receives substantial A&O 

funding to the amount of €25,000. Through a special Christmas card, A&O has spread awareness of the charity 

amongst 5,500 clients and contacts in Belgium. 

Zebra 

Another organisation the Belgian offices have a working relationship with is Zebra VZW, an organisation for the 

co-ordination of assistance to young road victims, including brothers and sisters and children of road victims. 

Francis Herbert (Brussels) organises and supervises the A&O pro bono work for this project. Zebra VZW 

co-operates fully with the Association of Parents of Children Killed on the Roads, with which it has established a 

privileged relationship. Zebra VZW grew out of a project called Huis voor Jonge Verkeersslachtoffers (House for 

Young Road Victims), which was the culmination of a one-year fundraising project, Levenslijn-Kinderfonds. 

Child Focus 

Child Focus, a Belgian umbrella NGO involved in fighting child abduction and abuse, functions at a number of 

levels, starting with help in finding missing and abducted children, and counselling the children and their families 

in situations of child abuse. Child Focus is also active at national and international levels as a voice for these and 

related issues, and operates as the secretariat for the European Centre for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children. 

The Belgian offices provide a range of pro bono services to the NGO. The work is mainly non-contentious and 

relates to a wide variety of legal problems that a not-for-profit organisation such as Child Focus might encounter. 

Francis Herbert of the Brussels office has been leading the project. Through this relationship between the Belgian 

offices and Child Focus, eleven of A&O's European offices were involved since 2001 in preparing a comprehensive 

report on the application of the 1980 Hague Convention on International Child Abduction across Europe. 

Missing and exploited Children europe 

The Brussels offices co-ordinates the assistance of eleven European offices for MCE in its implementation of an 

international Financial Coalition against commercial sexual exploitation of children on the internet. For further details 

of the project, please see the summary of the project in the Global section at the beginning of this report. Since 

2008, Francis Herbert has been the secretary-general of the NGO Missing Children Europe. 


sOs Children’s Villages 


We have continued supporting SOS Kinderdorpen/Villages d’Enfants, the world's largest orphan and abandoned 

children charity. Our support consists of direct financial support through charity actions and legal support. Now in its 

third year, the Brussels Legal Run, which A&O initiated in 2005, has grown further with 20 Brussels-based law firms 

taking part in this 20km run. We convinced the other law firms to adopt SOS Children’s Villages as the common 

charity for the 2007 event, leading to over €6000 in sponsorship donations from other law firms, and again as much 

from A&O Belgium. Dirk Meeus threw a birthday party where clients were asked to donate money to SOS Children's 

Villages. The total donation to SOS Children’s Villages was €25,000. 

Pro Deo 

In order to be accepted as a member of a Belgian bar, a trainee must, under the rules of the Brussels Bar authorities, 

take on 20 to 40 so-called “pro deo clients”, people in need of legal advice who meet the requirements for free 

legal advice and assistance in court. Each local bar in Belgium (in the case of A&O Belgium the Bars of Antwerp 

and Brussels) organises weekly contact sessions for pro deo clients. On average, a trainee attends one session 

a month. At these sessions, clients are allocated to lawyers. During the first three years as a lawyer, each trainee 

will spend a considerable amount of time working on these pro deo cases. A small rather symbolic fee is paid by 

the federal government per pro deo case. Although our trainees’ involvement in such cases is not “voluntary” in the 

proper sense of the word, A&O Belgium strongly believes this work is very important and just as valuable as other 

pro bono work. It provides our juniors with exposure to the day-to-day reality of criminal law, divorce cases, asylum 

seekers, amongst others, of which we are too often insufficiently aware as business lawyers. It gives people in need 

access to bright young lawyers who can rely on the resources of a well-known top firm to provide the best advice 

and assistance possible. It also contributes to the development of more versatile lawyers (for example, it is not 

uncommon for Banking or Corporate trainees to deal with cases involving pleadings in the administrative court). 

We are proud of this professional obligation which all Belgian lawyers face. It demonstrates a shared sense of 

duty to society. We support this time-consuming and intense work by reducing the billable hours target for trainees 

(and raising it for more senior lawyers to ensure we maintain overall targets per lawyer). Trainees can turn to other 

lawyers for help with these cases, which are often complicated and sensitive (such as granting the status of refugee, 

the issue of child custody and abuse cases). In addition, we have set up a help desk of dedicated senior lawyers 

who help trainees with pro deo work. 

To guide Belgian trainees through their pro deo cases and obligations, the Belgian offices established a Pro Deo 

Helpdesk headed by Axel Craeybeckx (Antwerp) and Peter Van Dyck (Brussels). The Pro Deo Helpdesk assists 

many of the Belgian trainees with their everyday questions. 

Community Activities 

Peter Bienenstock (Brussels) is a member of the board of the Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) not-for-profit 

organisation, LCH-Belgium VZW, which works with related groups in other countries. LCH is a rare disease, usually 

affecting young children. Peter is also on the Steering Committee of the Nikolas Symposium, a privately funded 

think tank which sponsors a medical conference and related efforts aimed at providing a better understanding of, and 

developing a cure for, histiocytic diseases. Peter is also a trustee and vice-president of the Histiocytosis Research 

Trust, a UK-registered charity. 

Geert Glas (Brussels) is a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Scientific Research and 

Educational Exchange. The Foundation grants scholarships to Belgian students and academics to study and carry 

out research in the United States. Geert also sits on the board of Timber, a day centre for mentally impaired adults. 

He is also a member of the Intellectual Property Council, a public body advising the Belgian Minister of Economic 

Affairs, on intellectual property legislation. 

Francis Herbert (Brussels), who retired in January 2008, was actively involved as Secretary General of the 

Association of Parents of Children Killed on the Roads. Francis took part in several ministerial working groups. 

These are devoted to issues of assistance to road victims and victims of acts of violence, and to the improvement of 

the Belgian traffic code and its enforcement by police and judicial authorities. He was also a representative of the 



European Federation of Road Victims and on the European Transport Safety Council. Francis has also been 

invited by the Supreme Council for Justice (Conseil Supérieure de la Justice) to take part in a training programme 

on victims’ rights for judges and members of the Public Prosecutor’s office. 

Luc Demeyere (Antwerp) has been acting as an accredited mediator in a number of fee disputes after the 

Antwerp Bar introduced mediation for disputes on fees. The Antwerp Bar together with Antwerp University Law School 

organises seminars for permanent education. Luc is a member of the Committee providing suggestions for next 

yearʼs conferences. The Flemish Bar established a task force for reviewing the Bar Exam for all Flemish Bars and 

Luc participates as a member of that committee. Luc also participates in the “Lawyers in Schools” programme, 

organised by the Flemish Bar, whereby a lawyer gives a one-hour presentation to school children in either their 

last year of primary or secondary school. A&O has been requested to sponsor the participation of the University of 

Antwerp and Ghent at the Willem Vis Moot in Vienna. Luc coaches the teams from these universities. 

stéphanie Houx (Brussels) sits as an assistant judge at the Brussels Fiscal Court. 

thierry Van Innis (Brussels) sits every week as an assistant judge at the Brussels Court of Appeal. He volunteered 

to do so as part of a government initiative to speed up the process of reducing the judicial backlog. 

nele De Volder, Helga Van Peer and Ingrid De Wilde assisted Oxfam Solidarité by setting up a Christmas 

collection of second-hand winter clothes to give people in Belgium who live below the poverty line the opportunity 

to buy cheaper clothes. The clothes were given to Oxfam shops in Belgium. With the money from the sale of 

second-hand clothes in the shops, Oxfam finances projects in developing countries. 

Wim Dejonghe has participated in the annual Aardbeitocht, a cycling event which raises money for Anautica, a 

home for mentally impaired adults. 

Werner eyskens is a member of the Brussels Bar Council and is responsible for the regulatory monitoring and 

approval procedures of firms and other legal entities through which Brussels bar lawyers practise. 

CHInA 

In August 2007 we appointed a pro bono and community co-ordinator for each of our Beijing and Shanghai offices. 

We then invited all People’s Republic of China staff to volunteer to join the new pro bono and community committees 

in those offices. We subsequently conducted a survey in both Beijing and Shanghai which revealed that our staff are 

particularly interested in supporting projects involving children and education. That has determined how we allocate 

our efforts and resources. Lead members of the pro bono and community committees in the PRC are, in Beijing: 

Grace Xu, Jocelyn Wang, Huawei sun, Chenghong Wang, Yanan Zhou and, in Shanghai: Richard Kim, Louise 

Ridgwick and Julia Zhang. 

PRO BOnO WORK 

Orphanage project 

The Beijing office has been helping with the initial stages of the establishment of a privately run orphanage in Beijing. 

Currently, all orphanages in China need to be set up with governmental approval. A&O has become involved to help 

advise on the legal framework and practicalities of setting up a private orphanage. This is a particularly interesting 

project, because – so far as we are aware – there are currently no private orphanages operating in China, making 

this a legal first. A&O is also investigating ways in which the orphanage might be able to accept funds from within 

China and abroad. In the longer term, we hope to continue to support the orphanage with fundraising and volunteer 

work. This way we hope to be able to include as many of the Beijing staff, both fee-earning and support staff, as 

want to be involved. 

The team working on the orphanage project includes: Robert Cui, Michael Gu, Hetti Jackson-stops, tom Jones, 

Rebecca Law, Dora Luo, emily Ma, Huawei sun, Chenghong Wang, Jocelyn Wang, Grace Xu, Lisa Zhao, 

Aaron Zhou and Yanan Zhou. 


Roots & shoots 


In Shanghai, Victor Ho, ning sun, Li Ping Peng and Fai Hung Cheung have provided pro bono legal advice to the 

Shanghai branch of Roots & Shoots, an environmental education programme for young people which promotes care 

and concern for the environment, animals and people through community service projects and educational activities. 

We have also raised money for Roots & Shoots (see below). 

COMMUnItY PROJeCts 

University scholarship programme 

Allen & Overy is seeking to make a contribution to Chinese legal education and promote the effectiveness of law in 

areas of public interest through a university scholarship programme. Under this programme, law students at six of 

the top universities in Shanghai and Beijing can apply for a grant to conduct legal research or field work on issues 

relating to corporate responsibility, law reform, legal aid, environmental protection, criminal justice, or, alternatively, 

on a project promoting public interest of their own design. tom Jones, James Hu, Wensheng Ma, Grace Xu, 

Chenghong Wang, Jing Wang and shuang Liu have been working on this in Beijing, and Louise Ridgwick, 

Ivy tang, Allan Fan and tony Zhong are involved in Shanghai. 

european Chamber of Commerce Community Involvement Day 

At the beginning of November 2007, Jessica shen, Julia Zhang, 

Vivian Lo and sylvia Liu from the Shanghai office participated 

in the European Chamber of Commerce Community Involvement 

Day at the Shanghai School for Blind Children and the Fountain 

School for Autistic Children. The day was designed to enable 

volunteers to help children with visual disabilities and autism 

communicate better with the outside world. While the children 

experienced interaction with new faces and gained knowledge 

and self-esteem through information sharing and the sense of 

being respected, our volunteers found satisfaction in making a 

small difference to these children’s lives by giving them care 

and attention. 

Childrenʼs Village 

Also in November 2007, a collection took place in the Beijing office for, and a visit made to, the Children's Village, 

a refuge for disabled children abandoned by their parents. Volunteers took crates of milk powder and nappies to 

the refuge, which was established with the aim of creating a safe environment for orphans and the goal of finding 

parents willing to care for the children over the long term. Those who went to the orphanage included: Carrie Dai, 

Michael edwards, Lisa Feng, Carrie He, tom Jones, Phoebe Li, Dora Luo, Huawei sun, Christie tao, 

Peter thorp, Jing Wang, Jocelyn Wang, Ralph Wang and Lisa Zhao. 

CHARItABLe GIVInG AnD FUnDRAIsInG 

Roots & shoots 

In November 2007, the Shanghai office sponsored a dinner for Roots & Shoots student volunteers. The guest 

of honour at the dinner was the primatologist and environmental activist Dr. Jane Goodall. 

HuaQiao Foundation 

In lieu of spending money on Christmas cards this year, a donation was made to the HuaQiao Foundation, an 

organisation supporting education in rural China. Our money went towards the completion of a primary school 

serving over 200 students, of whom many are AIDS orphans. 



CZeCH RePUBLIC 

The Prague office continues to develop long-term relationships with the charities and community organisations for 

whom we have done work. The programme is co-ordinated by Marcela Hogenova and Denisa Mannova. 

PRO BOnO ACtIVItIes 

The majority of the Prague office’s pro bono legal work is carried out through the multi-jurisdictional projects the firm 

participates in, which are described elsewhere in this report. We also act on ad hoc instructions from the Czech Bar 

Association in various pro bono cases, with many of our lawyers and partners being involved. These cases may 

involve representing individuals in court or giving advice to local community organisations. 

COMMUnItY ACtIVItIes 

enGAGe 

The Prague office has been involved with ENGAGE since 

December 2006. ENGAGE is an international network of 

businesses and community organisations that collaborate to 

bring together employees and their communities around the 

globe. ENGAGE helps to identify projects through its local broker 

organisation, Hestia. 

Hestia has organised a series of seminars on the issue of 

corporate social responsibility delivered by different law firms to 

university students. The aim is to inform the next generation of 

business people about CSR and why it matters for business. 

The first seminar was delivered by A&O at the Metropolitan 

University in Prague. The programme has been extended to 

include the Law Universities in Pilsner and Olomouc. 

We also took part in another ENGAGE project, “Around the 

World in 80 Minutes”. The aim of this project is to teach children 

from disadvantaged families about life outside their own country, 

including introducing them to new foods. This took place on one 

Saturday afternoon and was attended by some three dozen children 

as well as many of our staff. 

Project Kamos (Project Buddy) 

We participate in Project Kamos, which helps children from underprivileged backgrounds to get better grades at 

school and to find new worthwhile hobbies. The project is designed to support these children, especially when they 

are going through a difficult period at home, to prevent them from having to go to a children's home. The hope is that 

once that difficulty is resolved, they can get back on track and stay positive. We provide funding for two assistants 

on the Project. 

Project “Kdo komu” 

From time to time, staff members visit a children's home in Sazena, “Kdo komu”, to spend an evening with the 

children there. There, we share our experiences with them, through stories, music, and food. If we tell them 

about England, we usually take along food and sweets from Marks & Spencer. These visits are organised by 

Barevny Svet Deti, a local charity. 


Children’s Burns Unit 


The Prague office has supported the Childrenʼs Burns Unit at Vinohrady Hospital for several years now. We sponsor 

a psychologist working at the Children's Burns Injury Clinic at the hospital. The psychologist helps these children to 

come to terms with their injuries as well as helping their parents. We donated toys to the children who had to stay in 

the burns injury ward over the Christmas period. We also hope to spend time in the next year helping to redecorate 

the ward. 

CHARItY DOnAtIOns AnD FUnDRAIsInG ACtIVItIes 

Christmas Cards 

As in previous years, the partners in the Prague office decided not to send Christmas cards to clients. The money 

saved together with additional donations totalled approximately €12,000. This was donated to the Motol Childrenʼs 

Hospital Cardio Centre in Prague. 

Office Christmas Market and Picture exhibition 

It has become a tradition for us to sell goods in the client area of our office at both Christmas and Easter. The goods 

on sale are made by people with learning disabilities and are provided by organisations including Jedlickuv Ustav, 

Nadace Duha and Barveny Svet Deti. 

International Christmas Bazaar 

The bazaar is organised by the Diplomatic Ladies Association (DLA) and was opened by the First Lady, Mrs Livia 

Klausova. We participated by giving a small donation and supporting the British Embassy stand with some of our 

corporate gifts, including computer memory sticks, balls and t-shirts. 

UnICeF 

The Prague office regularly purchases stationery such as cards and calendars from UNICEF. 

It and Furniture Recycling 

We sold IT equipment and office furniture no longer being used or need to raise money on behalf of Fokus, an 

organisation which supports people with learning disabilities. In addition, some items including chairs, tables, 

mattresses and pillows were taken to a refugee centre in Liberec. 

FRAnCe 

Anne-Laurence Faroux co-ordinates the pro bono programme in the Paris office, with guidance from partner 

Jean-Claude Rivalland. 


Avocats sans Frontières France 

A&O Paris co-operates with Avocats sans Frontières France (ASF) (Lawyers Without Borders France) to support 

ASF activity. ASF is an international non-governmental organisation mostly composed of lawyers, law firms and 

lawyersʼ professional organisations, whose purpose is to contribute, independently, to: 

n the promotion of the rights for everyone to be defended, access to justice, the due process of law and the 

improvement of the rule of law; 

n the fight against impunity, by acting locally in the field; and 

n the professional training of lawyers in France or abroad. 



ASF currently carries out missions in Colombia, in Libya (defending Bulgarian nurses who have been sentenced 

to death), in Cambodia and in Nigeria. 

We provide ASF France with financial and logistic support, and we offer our expertise on a pro bono basis. In return, 

ASF France provides our lawyers with professional training in the field of fundamental human rights and right to 

have due process of law followed. These training sessions have been organised in our offices. Some of our lawyers 

have already participated in the Nigeria Project currently being managed by ASF France. In future, we are looking 

to become more closely involved with ASF France with a special project in which A&O lawyers will be more 

specifically involved. 

Le Bus de la solidarité 

Le Bus de la Solidarité in co-operation with the Paris Bar 

gives access to justice to people who cannot afford it. 

Thirty lawyers from A&O Paris are involved in this project 

and provide free legal assistance. 

Pro Bono Round table 

Members of the A&O Paris office attend discussions 

organised by the Paris Pro Bono Round Table. The 

Round Table is a forum for lawyers in Paris to discuss 

pro bono activities in which they are involved. Speakers 

from different associations are invited to speak at 

the discussions. 


HeC Foundation 

A&O is a member of the HEC School of Management Foundation. The HEC Foundation is involved in a programme 

run by two schools, the Henri IV lycée in Paris and the Michelet lycée in Vanves (a suburb close to Paris), which 

provide preparatory classes for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to enable them to prepare for entrance 

exams for the French Grandes Ecoles, such as HEC School of Management. Students who take part in this 

programme are also provided with accommodation and educational materials. As members of the HEC Foundation, 

A&O Paris is also involved in mentoring particular students. 

Book collection – Droits d'Urgence 

Droits d'Urgence is an association which provides free advice and legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals 

in order to help them understand and enforce their legal rights. The association provides its services in around 

20 health and humanitarian centres in the Île de France region. The association's volunteers attend these centres to 

give advice to people there. A&O Paris is currently involved in a project to provide legal textbooks and codes to the 

association for volunteers to use in the various centres. Some A&O lawyers are also volunteers for the organisation. 

CHARItY DOnAtIOns AnD FUnDRAIsInG 

Paris Half-Marathon 

Twenty-four people from A&O Paris and A&O London ran the Paris half-marathon on 2 March 2008 raising money 

for the French Haemophilia Association (Association Française des Hémophiles). 


GeRMAnY 


The Frankfurt office pro bono/community programme is run by a committee made up of associates (Volker enseleit, 

Vanessa Pfeiffer, Myriam schilling and Alexander Wuepper), legal PAs (Alexandra Faus and Lisa Kramm), 

the librarian (Ludger Hartmann), a billing co-ordinator (stefania Arenella), a marketing co-ordinator 

(steffen Mueller), the professional development manager (Katrin stapper) and the evening support manager 

(sabine schumacher). The committee was co-chaired in 2007/8 by Vanessa Pfeiffer and Alexander Wuepper. 

In the Hamburg office, the pro bono/community programme is run by a committee made up of legal PAs 

(Alexandra niederelc and Katja stiebler), an administration assistant (eckhard Lohse), IT-support 

(Markus schmidt) and receptionist (Vivien Huebner). 

Both offices have a very active programme, based largely on themes of homelessness, disability and less-fortunate 

children. Members of the two committees will support the new offices in Dusseldorf and Mannheim as they begin to 

look at opportunities for staff there to become involved in pro bono and community work. 

PRO BOnO WORK 

Frankfurt Pro Bono Round table 

The Frankfurt office is an active member of the Frankfurt Pro Bono Round Table together with other law firms and 

organisations in Frankfurt. The Round Table is seeking to clarify whether it is permissible or not to give free legal 

advice in Germany, which, as the regulations currently stand, may not be allowed. Until the position is clarified, the 

Frankfurt office is being cautious about providing free legal advice in Germany. 


Frankfurter tafel 

The first Saturday of each month, two A&O Frankfurt employees drive around Frankfurt collecting food and delivering it 

to women and children living in a women's shelter and large low-income families in Frankfurt and its surrounding areas. 

Volunteers: stefania Arenella, Christine Bader, Alexandra Fries, Ludger Hartmann, Wibke Kleber, 

Lisa Kramm, Rosalind Lang, Ann-Kathrin Maack, Olaf Meisen, Christine Mingers, Vanessa Pfeiffer, 

Britta scheiber-somfelean, sabine schumacher and Katrin stapper. 

Mitternachtsbus 

The “Mitternachtsbus” (midnight bus) was 

originally set up in Hamburg by a group of 

volunteers, and was then taken over by the 

Protestant Church. The Mitternachtsbus visits 

the places frequented by homeless people. In 

the cold months the bus runs daily, in the warm 

season every other day. The homeless are 

provided with warm drinks and snacks and if 

needed with clothes. It is also important for them 

that they know they are not forgotten and have 

someone to talk to. A Hamburg bakery donates 

leftovers. The bus itself is provided by the church. 

Once a month, an A&O team from the Hamburg 

office operates and runs one complete tour of 

the bus. 

Volunteers: Alexandra niederelc and Katja stiebler. 



employability skills Workshop 

In November 2007 and February 2008, a group of A&O Frankfurt employees attended the Bachschule in Offenbach 

(in the Frankfurt area) to help local teenagers who have not been able to go to university to learn how successfully to 

complete job applications and interview skills techniques. 

Volunteers: student legal PAs, Inga Feser, Jennifer Franken, Ludger Hartmann, simon Hennes, 

Vivian Leydecker, Vanessa Pfeiffer, Philipp schneider, Angela taylor, Katja Wolf and Alexander Wuepper. 

Down-sportlerfestival 

On 12 May 2007, 18 A&O Frankfurt staff members and their friends volunteered to help at the annual 

Down-Sportlerfestival at the Sport and Recreation Centre in Frankfurt Kalbach. The festival helps children with 

Down's syndrome to play many sports and generally to gain in self-confidence. More than 400 children took part, 

watched by some 1,700 spectators. 

Volunteers: Liam Ayre, Christine Bader, Felix Bürger, Alexandra Faus, Cristina Freudenberger, 

Wibke Kleber, Vivian Leydecker, steffen Lindenthal, Olaf Meisen, Isabelle navone, Vanessa Pfeiffer, 

Ann-Kathrin Plate, Myriam schilling, Amber sinclair, Katrin stapper and Alexander Wuepper. 

Carnival 

On 26 January 2008, ten A&O Frankfurt staff members attended the annual carnival celebration for the “Verein 

gemeinsam mit Behinderten e. V.” This carnival is for the benefit of those with disabilities. Our staff helped prepare 

and serve food and drinks as well as being part of the entertainment. 

Volunteers: seyda Duman, Volker enseleit, Alexandra Faus, Rosalind Lang, steffen Lindenthal, 

tanja Manojlovic, Vanessa Pfeiffer, Jemma Prince and Katrin stapper. 


JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge 

On 13 June 2007, 60 A&O Frankfurt staff members participated in the annual JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge 

5.6km run through the City of Frankfurt. A&O Frankfurt sponsored this event by paying the entry fee for each 

participant in support of the beneficiary Deutsche Sporthilfe – JPMorgan Helps: Handicapped Kids in Motion. 

Dragon Boat Festival 

On 16 June and 17 June 2007, 20 A&O Frankfurt 

staff members and friends took part in the annual 

Dragon Boat Festival in Frankfurt. These people 

dedicated their entire weekend to paddle in 

support of the Special Olympics Germany. 

Lauf für Mehr Zeit 

On 9 September 2007, a group of A&O Frankfurt 

staff members participated in the annual 5km 

run through the City of Frankfurt in support of 

AIDS-Hilfe Frankfurt e. V. 

HsH nordbank Run 

The HSH Nordbank Run is a 4km run (with walking and jogging also permitted) through the area where the Hamburg 

office is located. Local companies enter teams, with the entrance fee of €4 per person being donated to the charity 

Children help Children (Kinder helfen Kindern). This organisation enables children from less well off families to join 

sports clubs. In 2008 A&O Hamburg will enter a team for the third consecutive year. 


Race for the Cure 


On 30 September 2007, a group of A&O Frankfurt staff members participated in the annual 5km run along the 

waterfront in Frankfurt in support of KOMEN Deutschland e. V., a charity which is working for a cure against 

breast cancer. 

Clothing Donations 

In September 2007, A&O Frankfurt collected over 40 bags 

of shoes and clothing which were donated to the women's 

shelter Frauencafé Kassandra in the Bahnhofsviertel in 

Frankfurt. Any items they cannot use are donated to other 

people in need in the Frankfurt area via the Frankfurter 

Verein. 

We are also collecting all kind of clothes in the Hamburg 

office. Every few months we give the collected clothes 

to the Mitternachtsbus (see above), which hands out 

donations to people in need. 

Volunteers: Bruntje Veizi and steffi Drabsch. 

toy Drive 

In February and March 2008 A&O Frankfurt collected toys which will be donated to the Verein gemeinsam mit 

Behinderten e. V. to improve the possibilities of child care for disabled children. 

Book collection 

Used books are being collected in the Hamburg office which will be donated a local hospital or a home for old people. 

Volunteers: Manja Busse and steffi Drabsch. 

It equipment sale 

A&O Germany's IT team sold used equipment no longer needed employees in both offices. The proceeds are 

donated to charity and the reuse of the equipment is environmentally friendly. 

Unicef Christmas Card sale 

In December 2007, A&O Frankfurt sold charity Christmas cards to its employees to raise money for UNICEF. 

Christmas tree Project 

In December 2007, A&O Frankfurt employees purchased and donated Christmas gifts (e.g. toys) for disabled and 

less fortunate children in Germany. Since 2005 there has also been a Christmas tree project in Hamburg, helping 

handicapped adults who are otherwise unsupported. The mental level of these adults often equals that of a child 

or teenager. Presents were bought for the residents of the Wohnanlage “Gräflingsberg” of the Rauhes Haus in 

Hamburg. eckhard Lohse exchanged his business suit for the perfect Santa Claus attire and handed out the 

presents with the help of two angels from A&O. Approximately 40 A&O people from Hamburg participated in this 

project in 2007. 

HOnG KOnG 

The Pro Bono Committee co-ordinates the Hong Kong officeʼs pro bono activities. Members of the committee 

represent a cross-section of disciplines and departments. The current committee members are Matthew Chen, 

Gordon Fong, Barbara Hou, Catherine Husted, May Lo, Roger Lui, Jade Man, Paul Porter, Murray Prior, 



Joan tan and eric tse. John Knox, Yvonne Lau and Annette so retired from the committee this year. The 

committee meets each month to monitor activities and discuss future initiatives. Currently, the Hong Kong office 

supports a variety of community projects and schemes, partnering with various social sectors. 

Helpers for Domestic Helpers (“HDH”) 

We are now in our seventh year of supporting HDH, a non-profit organisation that provides legal advice, counselling 

and guidance for foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong. HDH deals with a wide variety of issues covering 

employment, immigration and human rights issues affecting those foreign domestic helpers. 

The charity has only two full-time members of staff and is open from Monday to Friday, and on Sundays, when most 

domestic helpers in Hong Kong have their day off work. From A&O those volunteering and offering advice on the 

HDH rota include Matt Bower, Melody Chu, Anthony Fan, Regina Fan, Brian Harrison, Yvette Leung, 

May Lo, Roger Lui, Laveena Mahtani, Clarissa Ogden, Angus Ross, Amy supangkat, Joan tan, eric tse, 

Frances Van eupen and Cathy Yeung. Our litigation department also continues to offer litigation support for HDH, 

and we have formalised a system of referral with HDH. 

For more information on HDH, visit www.stjohnscathedral.org.hk/helpers.htm. 

enlighten 

Enlighten works to improve the quality of life for people with epilepsy and their family members. It advises patients 

with their medication, advises on other therapeutic approaches to epilepsy and provides information, education and 

support to patients through one-to-one counselling and self-help support groups. 

Having advised Enlighten on establishing its Hong Kong branch and as a charity, the Hong Kong office gives ongoing 

legal advice and other support to this charity. We sponsored an advertisement in the programme for Enlightenʼs 

Fundraising Dinner held on 15 March 2008. 

For more information on Enlighten, visit www.enlighten.hk.org. 

St Maryʼs Home for the Aged 

St Maryʼs Home for the Aged is run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, who provide care for the poor and needy, the 

homeless and abandoned old people. The Sisters have no subsidy from the government or from the Community 

Chest of Hong Kong (which subsidises many charities in Hong Kong). They are not allowed under their constitution 

to have any form of investments or any regular income, so historically, the Sisters “live on daily charity” and can only 

raise funds by relying on the generosity of voluntary donors. The elderly who stay at the home only need to pay 

a minimal contribution from their old age government allowance (which is barely enough to pay for their food and 

lodging). The Sisters run two homes in Hong Kong – one in Kowloon and one in Wong Chuk Hang/Aberdeen on 

Hong Kong Island. The Sisters look after the residents with the help of voluntary workers. A portion of all donations 

received is used to hire paid staff to provide medical care, do the cooking and some of the cleaning. 

We provide cash donations and ongoing legal advice to the Little Sisters of the Poor. We donated Christmas gifts 

and food to St. Maryʼs and hosted a Christmas tea party for the residents which included running a bingo session 

for them. 

A&O volunteers for St. Maryʼs include shirley Au-Yeung, Carmen Fung, Lucy Haslewood, Catherine Husted, 

Kim Hyo Jung, Joseph Lee, Jade Man, Ben Rossan, Agnes tsang, eric tse and Judy Zhu. 

Hans Andersen Club (“HAC”) 

HAC is a local charity that runs child and youth projects for underprivileged children. We provide pro bono legal 

advice and participate in fundraising activities. Gordon Fong is a director on the HAC executive committee, 

contributing to the development of business and strategic planning for the club. As part of the business strategy 

developed by the executive committee last year, HAC was able to secure further funding from various funding bodies 

for expansion. Hundreds of children and young people from both the Lamma Island Centre and the Chuk Yuen 

Centre are now able to enjoy their new facilities in the new locations. Some of these features include a spacious 

library and a workshop for storytelling. 



On 16 June 2007, a group of volunteers (elaine Chiu, Maria Fan, Gordon Fong, Jade Man, Paul Porter, 

Julia sheng, Annette so and Michelle Yip) from the office took part in a trip to Lamma Island. The volunteers 

assisted at a playgroup run by HAC, had lunch with the children at the playgroup and gave out various gifts. 

Staff from the Hong Kong office donated Christmas gifts for the children of HAC. These gifts were distributed to the 

children by Santa and a group of volunteers (Gordon Fong, Winnie Wong and Julia sheng) at the annual HAC 

Christmas party. 

We also sponsored a charity performance held on 13 January 2008, which took place at the Hong Kong Polytechnic. 

We have made our training rooms available to HAC for various social events and activities and sponsored an 

advertisement for HAC which was displayed in many of the MTR stations. We also set up coin collection boxes in 

the office to collect spare coins for HAC. 

For more information on HAC, visit www.hac.org.hk. 

World Cancer Research Fund Hong Kong (“Fund”) 

The Fund organised a “Fruity Friday” on 29 June 2007. This is a public awareness campaign which began in 2005 

to promote the importance of a healthy diet, and in particular the benefits of eating fruit, to maintain good health and 

as a protection against many common cancers. The Fund asked participating companies to hold their own “fruity” 

events. The Hong Kong office organised fruit boxes for all members of staff and a donation was made to the Fund. 

We also set up coin collection boxes in the office to collect spare coins for the Fund. 

For more information on the Fund, visit www.wcrf-hk.org. 

ORBIs 

We made various cash donations to ORBIS which works in partnership with local health professionals in many 

countries to improve the quality and accessibility of eye care for people living where the need is greatest. We set up 

coin collection boxes in the office to collect spare coins for ORBIS. Jade Man participated in the ORBIS “Walk for 

Sight” on 9 March 2008. 

For more information on ORBIS, visit www.orbis.org. 

society for Community Organisation (“sOCO”) 

SOCO is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the alleviation of poverty and social inequality in Hong Kong. It runs 

numerous projects, including the Childrenʼs Rights Project and the New Immigrants Project. We organised a book 

collection for SOCO in the office. The books were sent to SOCO’s community centre in Sham Shui Po. 

For more information on SOCO, visit www.soco.org.hk. 

Caring for Children Foundation (“CFCF”) 

CFCF comprises a group or volunteers, medical and 

health care specialists, and professionals from different 

fields who work to help underprivileged children in remote 

villages in China. 

On 28 October 2007 we sponsored a “Charity Fun Day” for 

the Foundation. A group of volunteers (Peter Crossan, 

Regina Fan, Gordon Fong, Matthew Hebburn, 

Jade Man, Hélène Mottais, Paul Porter and Kurt 

sherwood) took part in a tug-of-war competition, which 

was one of the events, and was awarded the “most united 

team” award for team effort and spirit. 

We also organised a collection of clothes and toys in the office for CFCF. 

For more information on CCF, visit www.cfcf.org.hk. 



Crossroads International (“Crossroads”) 

Crossroads was established in Hong Kong by a husband and wife team in 1995. It now employs 35 full-time staff 

and receives regular support from volunteers. Crossroads identifies humanitarian organisations with specific 

needs. It then responds to those needs by collecting and delivering goods such as food, clothes, medical supplies or 

bedding – both locally and internationally. Crossroads has sent goods to many places including China, Africa, Nepal, 

India, Indonesia, and the Philippines, always with a specific project in mind (for example, orphanages, hospitals 

and schools). 

The Hong Kong office continues to support this charity. This year teams of recruits volunteered their services to help 

with packing and shipping goods at the Crossroads Gold Coast premises (formerly known as Perowne Barracks). 

Crossroads volunteers this year have included Catherine Husted, Jade Man, Paul Porter, neela Ramanathan 

and eric tse. 

We have also given IP and other legal advice to Crossroads in connection with a project which will recycle old palm 

pilots for use in rural areas by farmers, doctors and schools so that they can have easier access to information. The 

first project was for farmers in Indonesia and the next project is expected to be for doctors in China. 

In addition, we organised collections of furniture from members of staff which Crossroads will distribute. 

For more information on Crossroads, visit www.crossroads.org.hk. 

Community Business Limited (“CBL”) 

CBL was established to work with companies in Hong Kong to address their Corporate Social Responsibility in the 

areas of corporate community involvement and workplace initiatives (including diversity in the workplace). CBL is 

the Hong Kong partner of Business in the Community, UK, which is the largest CSR organisation in the world and 

supported by four-fifths of FTSE100 Companies, many of whom have offices in Hong Kong. 

The Hong Kong office signed up as the first “Gold Package Citizen” of CBL in January 2003. We also act as CBLʼs 

pro bono lawyers and in this capacity we have advised them on: 

n various company secretarial matters – including the holding of board and shareholder meetings, the 

appointment of a new company secretary, the execution of various company documents and the use of the 

company seal; 

n drafting a confidentiality and IP agreement to be entered into by CBL with its staff of volunteers; 

n drafting copyright and liability disclaimers to be used by CBL in all of its marketing and training materials and on 

its web site; 

n drafting standard form “Citizenship Agreements” to be entered into by CBL with all of its Citizens and 

“Gold Package” Citizens, and drafting and assisting in negotiations of specific Citizenship Agreements entered 

into by CBL with various CBL Citizens; and 

n assisting in negotiations of tenancy agreement to be entered into by CBL. 

Catherine Husted continues in her role as deputy chair of CBL's Leadership Team. The Leadership Team 

comprises senior representatives from each of the CBL Citizens (including ABN AMRO, Barclays, HSBC, Lehmans, 

Standard Chartered Bank and the MTR Corporation). 

We have made our training rooms available to CBL for a number of employee volunteering workshops during the 

year and have hosted meetings for the Leadership Team. We also hosted a CBL Members Forum on the topic of 

“Engaging Your Employees in Corporate Community Investment” at which Catherine Husted made a presentation 

on “Sharing Best CCI Practice”. 

For more information on CBL, visit www.communitybusiness.org.hk. 


Caring Company 


In an effort to recognise and promote good corporate citizenship, the Hong Kong Council of Social Services 

continued its Caring Company Scheme for the sixth year. Companies demonstrating commitment in the areas 

listed below are awarded Caring Company Status and the right to use the official Caring Company Logo: 

n encouraging and support employee volunteering. 

n providing family-friendly environment for employees and being gender-sensitive. 

n being willing to employ vulnerable groups. 

n developing partnership projects with the social service sector. 

n sharing business expertise with the social service organisations. 

n donating or giving in kind to the community. 

We were delighted to be nominated for this award by both the Hans Andersen Club and Community Business 

Limited, and to have been awarded Caring Company Status for the sixth year running. Henry Tong, the Chief 

Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong SAR, presided at the awards ceremony on 21 February 2008. 

Murray Prior and Gordon Fong attended the ceremony on behalf of the office. 

Companies who are given this award are entitled to use the Caring Company Logo in the coming year for both 

internal and external public relations activities, letting people know of their caring deeds and good practices. As 

we have been awarded Caring Company Status for six consecutive years, this year we are also entitled to use 

the “Five Year Plus Award Logo” for our public relations activities in the coming year. 

Gordon Fong and Catherine Husted have been nominated as Caring Ambassadors under the Caring 

Company Scheme. 

For more information on the Caring Company Scheme, visit www.caringcompany.net. 

equal Opportunities Commission (“eOC”) 

We were approached by the EOC to see whether we could offer free legal advice to people on issues relating to 

equal opportunities where the EOC is unable to assist. As a result, our litigation department has agreed to take on 

such matters where no conflict of interest exists with our current client base. 

Matilda sedan Chair Race and Bazaar 

This is an annual event which raises money to donate to local charities. A&O sponsored an advert in the 

race programme. 

UnICeF 

We set up coin collection boxes in the office to collect spare foreign coins for UNICEF. 

For more information on UNICEF, visit www.unicef.org. 

stride for a Cure 

We are now in our sixth year of supporting Stride for a Cure. This yearʼs annual Stride for a Cure in aid of The Hong 

Kong Cancer Fund was held on 4 November 2007. Routes of 5km and 12km were organised through Tai Tam 

Country Park. The event had a carnival atmosphere with live entertainment and game booths available throughout 

the day, with a lucky draw to round off the festivities. 

Funds raised by Stride for a Cure will go towards continued cancer research in Hong Kong as well as funding the 

purchase of new equipment for cancer units at various hospitals in Hong Kong. 



The A&O volunteers who participated were: stephen Chan, Matthew Chen, Angela Cheung, Vi Vi Chow, Guy 

Connell, Gordon Fong, Carmen Fung, Andrew Harrow, nicholas Ho, Larry Hu, Joyce Leung, Laveena 

Mahtani, Rebecca ng, Winnie Wong, edward Xu, Bernice Yung and Linda Zheng. 

For more information on the Hong Kong Cancer Fund, visit www.cancer-fund.org. 

Guangzhou Orphanage 

In December 2007, a group of A&O volunteers, family and friends spent a day at the Guangzhou Orphanage. The 

volunteers helped out at three parties at the orphanage. This involved participating in nativity plays and carol singing 

as well as generally helping out with food and drinks and the giving-out of presents. Thanks to the generosity of the 

Hong Kong office, we gave approximately 800 Christmas gifts to the orphanage. We also took a large amount of 

chocolates and biscuits which went down extremely well with the children. 

The A&O volunteers who visited the Orphanage were: Melody Chu, Peter Crossan, Gordon Fong, 

Jessica Hamilton, Catherine Husted, May Lo, Jade Man, Hélène Mottais, neil Patel and Julia sheng. 

We organised a collection of toys, clothes and dental supplies for the orphanage. UBS, Morgan Stanley and HSBC 

also contributed to this collection. 

We also made a donation towards the purchase of a wheelchair for a resident of the orphanage. 


Animals Asia Foundation 


The Animals Asia Foundation is involved in a number of activities in Hong Kong and Mainland China, including its 

China Bear Rescue Campaign. The campaign aims to rescue bears from bear farms where they are kept in cages 

for the purposes of extracting bile from their gall bladders for use in various medicines. The bears who are rescued 

are cared for at a centre in Chengdu, Sichuan province in China. We donated money to the foundation, which will be 

used to feed ‘our’ bear for a year and also pay for veterinary care. 

Gordon Fong attended the foundation’s campaign launch party in Hong Kong. 

For more information on the Animal Asia Foundation, visit www.animalsasia.org. 

society for Abandoned Animals (“sAA”) 

The SAA runs an animal shelter in the New Territories. This year we organised a collection of newspapers for the 

shelter. The shelter includes mostly dogs but there are also cats, rabbits, pigs, goats and hamsters. 

A&O volunteers spent a day at SAA on 19 January 2008 and helped to feed the animals and walk the dogs. 

The A&O team of volunteers were: stephen Chan, Melody Chu, Desmond Lee, Vivian Mak, Murray Prior, 

neela Ramanathan and Desiree sumilang. We bought raffle tickets from SAA to help support the daily operation 

costs for all of the animals at SAA. 

For more information on SAA, visit www.saa.org.hk. 

World Wide Fund for nature (“WWF”) 

This year we continued to be a silver corporate sponsor of WWF. Our corporate donation will be used for WWFʼs 

environmental projects in Hong Kong. 

For more information on WWF, visit www.wwf.org.hk. 

Hike for Hospice 

On 24 February 2008, Jade Man, Paul Porter, terris tang and Jessica Hamilton took part in a hike to raise funds 

for the Society for the Promotion of Hospice Care. The Society is dedicated to promoting hospice care, providing 

bereavement support services and developing related training. It advocates a positive attitude towards those facing 

terminal illness. 

For more information on the Society, visit www.hospicecare.org.hk. 

Cyber Run 

We sponsored staff (Regina Fan, Gordon Fong and nicholas Ho) to take part in the Cyber Run, held on 

25 November 2007. This was a joint event co-organised by the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation (HKSR) 

and the Cyberport Tenants Club (CTC) to raise funds for the HKSR to help people with disability in China and 

Hong Kong. HKSR is a non-profit organisation that provides services to enhance the quality of life for the elderly 

and people with disability or chronic illness. 

For further details, visit www.cyberrun.hk. 

World Vision 

We support the Corporate Child Sponsorship Programme run by World Vision. This provides long-term support 

to child-focused community development. The sponsors' monthly contributions fund development programmes in 

the sponsored childʼs community. The contributions also provide the sponsored child with access to clean water, 

nutritious food, basic health care and a chance for education. 

For more information on World Vision, visit www.worldvision.org.hk. 



Home of Loving Faithfulness 

A group of volunteers from the office visited the Home Of Loving Faithfulness in Sheung Shui on 28 July 2007. 

The home is a local charity run by a group of volunteers who care for children (and some long-term residents) with 

physical and mental disabilities. The A&O volunteers (Marcus Agnew, Matthew Chen, Robin Cao, Maria Fan, 

Gordon Fong, Charlie Hung, Yvette Leung, Gary Li, Jade Man, Phoebe ng, Clarissa Ogden, Julia sheng, 

stephanie Wang and natalya Xavier) helped with a birthday party for one of the residents. 

Oxfam trailwalker 

simon Berry, Matt Bower, Julia Wood and Joseph Lee took part in this annual 100km walk to raise funds 

for Oxfam. 

For more information on Oxfam, visit www.oxfam.org.hk. 

nepal enfance et Lumiere 

The Hong Kong office is sponsoring five schoolgirlsʼ attendance at a boarding school in Kathmandu, Nepal. Our 

donation covers accommodation, food, medicine, clothes, education, books and stationery for the girls. Each girl 

will be writing to their allocated A&O ‘Uncle/Aunty’ (Rashmi Lama (Brian Harrison), Pooja Rai (Michael Liu), Sanu 

Tamang (Gordon Fong), Kabita Bishwakarma (Andrew Harrow) and Juneli Bishwakarma (Catherine Husted)) to 

tell them how they are getting on. 

In addition, we are in the process of sourcing computer equipment for the school to facilitate computer classes for 

the girls. 

toiletries Collection 

We set up collection boxes in the office to collect airline and other miniature toiletries and amenity kits to donate 

to the Missionaries of Charity Home of Love. This is a charitable organisation that offers temporary shelter for 

homeless people in Hong Kong. Our regular donations assist them in providing free showers and toiletries to 

the homeless. 

General Pro Bono Legal Advice 

As a result of the firmʼs increasing reputation in Hong Kong for pro bono work, the office has received various 

requests over the course of the year for free legal advice from local charities. This has included advice by Jane ng 

and Zoe Lau on the following matters: 

n Advising Hands on Shanghai with the preparation of documents to set up a company and bank account, and 

advising on Hong Kong work visa requirements for a director of the company. 

n Advising the Hong Kong Marrow Match Foundation on a change of legal representative on the Board of 

Governors and attending a meeting of the Executive Committee and the Annual General Meeting. 

n Advising the Spinal Cord Injury Fund on various matters including advising on, and preparing documents for, 

a change of name of the Fund, attending a meeting of the Executive Board and advising on and attending a 

meeting in relation to the setting up of a representative office in the People’s Republic of China. 

n Advising Greater China Culture on, and preparing documents for, the appointment of directors. 

n Providing general corporate advice to the World Food Programme. 

n Advising the Clinton Global Foundation on employment and visa issues and reviewing a standard form 

consultant engagement letter. 

n Providing general corporate advice and reviewing agreements for the International Association of CFOs and 

Corporate Treasures (China) Limited. 

Pro Bono support for Clients 

We have given advice to a number of clients (including GE, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup) on how best to organise 

their pro bono activities. 


Donation of Computer equipment 


We have donated printers and computer equipment to a number of organisations, including HDH, the Guangzhou 

Orphanage, HAC, SAA, CFCF and Enlighten. We also sold computers in the office and used the proceeds to make 

donations to various charities. 

Christmas events 

In lieu of Christmas cards, the Hong Kong office sent clients an e-card with seasonʼs greetings and used the money 

saved to make charitable donations to Médecins Sans Frontières and Enlighten. 

Following the success of last yearʼs appeal, the office once again organised a gift collection. Gifts were donated to 

the Hans Andersen Club, St. Mary's Home for the Aged and the Guangzhou Orphanage. 

We entered a team in the Operation Santa Clausʼ five-a-side corporate football tournament held on 2 December 2007 at 

Stanley Fort. We also entered a team in a related football quiz on 8 November 2007. The A&O team and supporters 

were Gordon Fong, Jade Man, Hélène Mottais, Jessica Hamilton and Patrick Wong. Operation Santa Claus 

raises money each December for various local charities in Hong Kong. There were 20 teams in the tournament, 

including many of our clients. The A&O football team players were eugene Man, Bernard Chain, Jacob shek, 

Henry sohn, nicholas Ho, Patrick Wong and terris tang. 

We also raised funds for Operation Santa Claus through an office Christmas raffle. The prizes were donated by the 

partners and tickets sold by trainees. A total of HK$20,260 was raised. 

Individual Pro Bono and Community Work 

Gordon Fong sits on the board of the Hans Andersen Club Committee. 

David Kidd chairs the board of governors of Kellett School. 

Joseph tse acts as a trust member of the Outward Bound Trust in Hong Kong. 

Koh-Ann Chu is a hostel committee member for the Spastics Association, which runs boarding facilities and shelter 

workshops for the physically handicapped. She is also the supervisor for one of the boarding facilities. 

Joseph Lee participated in a fundraising event organised by the A&O London office in May 2007, to raise funds for 

the homeless on behalf of the London-based charity organisation, Crisis. Joseph raised funds by riding his bicycle 

from London to Paris in four days, covering a distance of more than 500km. We made a cash donation to Crisis and 

sponsored Joseph’s transportation expenses. 

In January 2008 sharon Pun took part in a charity walk for the Youth Hotel Association on Lantau Island. 

Charitable Donations 

In addition to those referred to above, donations were made to various charities during the year. 

HUnGARY 

The Budapest office is small and is not able to have a structured pro bono programme yet. However, we do respond 

to individual requests either from personal contacts or from organisations known to us, such as the Public Interest 

Law Initiative (PILI). 

PRO BOnO ADVICe 

Roma segregation Case 

We are representing several Roma families (an ethnic minority group) in their dispute with the city of Miskolc in 

relation to segregation within schools. Balázs sahin-tóth and Gergely Juhász carried out interviews on behalf of 

the Roma people following which they drafted and delivered demands to the city. After the city responded negatively, 

we began proceedings on our clients’ behalf for compensation and damages. The first court hearing is scheduled for 

7 May 2008. 



Interights 

Julianna Béndek, Márton eörsi and Barbara Forman assisted the International Centre for the Legal Protection of 

Human Rights (Interights) in carrying out research into the legality of actions taken by the Russian government during 

the Moscow Theatre siege of October 2002. The case is to be heard before the European Court of Human Rights. 

Hungarian income tax allowance 

We advised the Hungarian government, together with Deloitte and Ernst & Young, in an issue of corporate income 

tax being scrutinised by the European Commission. The A&O team was led by associate Levente Torma and 

included trainees Gábor Papp, Dániel szabó and Balázs Kántor. The A&O team has contributed more than 

300 hours to this joint effort. 

ItALY 

The pro bono and community affairs programme in Italy is managed by Giovanni Gazzaniga in Milan and 

Roberto Donnini in Rome, and organised by Antonella Jannelli. 


Fondo per lʼAmbiente Italiano 

A&O Milan advised Fondo per lʼAmbiente Italiano (FAI) on the acquisition of a heritage real estate complex in Assisi 

(Perugia). This was a challenging project. FAI is a private, non-profit trust, incorporated in 1975 with the purpose 

of helping to protect, preserve and enhance the Italian artistic and environmental heritage. The real estate complex 

in question is composed of an ancient church and monastery located within a park in Assisi, close to the Basilica. 

We helped negotiate a good deal on behalf of FAI which involved the mortgagor, Intesa SanPaolo SpA, effectively 

donating €1.5 million of credit and waiving its mortgage rights over the real estate. 

The involvement of A&O Milan in this matter was led 

by Antonella Jannelli, A&O BD co-ordinator, who 

established and managed A&O's relationship with 

FAI. The A&O team was led by corporate partner 

Giovanni Gazzaniga, assisted by associate 

Lodovico Bianchi Di Giulio and trainee 

Paolo nastasi from the Milan office. Partner 

Antonella Capria, head of the Italian administrative 

and environmental group, and senior associate 

Daniela Frascella, worked on the regulatory aspects 

of the transaction. 

Commenting, Giovanni Gazzaniga said: “It has 

been great to work on such a difficult transaction for 

a reputable institution such as FAI. I am personally 

proud of the enthusiasm, dedication and high level 

contribution given by the A&O team to this pro bono project.” 

european Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 

Working in co-operation with A&O lawyers in Belgium, Francesca turitto and Luisa Gatti have been advising the 

European Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (EACAP) on the establishment of an Italian entity dedicated 

to treatment of psychiatric illnesses in children and adolescents. 

World swim for Malaria 

The Italian offices continued to advise the World Swim for Malaria organisation concerning the constitution a 

foundation in Italy, as part of its international network. The foundation organises swimming events to raise money 

which funds the purchase of anti-malaria devices, including bed nets. Roberto Donnini worked on this project. 


Prize4life 


We have been assisting Prize4life, a US non-profit organisation, on the creation of an associated organisation, 

Italian Onulus. This organisation seeks to promote research into accelerated lateral sclerosis (ALS) by offering 

substantial prizes to scientists who overcome the most critical scientific obstacles to discover new and effective 

treatments for ALS and Motor Neurone Disease. Lawyers who have worked on this project include: 

Massimiliano Danusso, elena Radicella Chiaramonte, Francesco Bonichi and Valentina Roticiani 


Amani for Africa 

Amani is an NGO which set up a project called “Anitaʼs House” in Nairobi. The project supports a group of families 

who provide care and education to homeless young girls. 

Christmas Cards and Donation 

Continuing its commitment to support UNICEF, A&O Italy chose branded Christmas cards for the Italian offices and 

also made a Christmas donation to Save the Children. 

Recycling Initiatives 

A&O Italy donates its used computer equipment to a number of schools in Milan, to allow school children better 

access to technology and to help them learn about IT. 

We also collect plastic bottle caps in our Milan office, which we donate to a non-profit organisation which uses the caps 

to produce wheelchairs that are cheaper, lighter and more efficient than their traditionally produced counterparts. 

JAPAn 

Activities in the Tokyo office are co-ordinated by Kaori nasu and Kyoko shimoyamada, with Aled Davies as the 

partner responsible for the programme. The Tokyo office is very small, and so is in the early stages of developing its 

pro bono and community work. 


A group of newly qualified lawyers offered pro bono legal advice and assistance to defendants in criminal 

proceedings in cases where the defendants were not able to pay for formal representation. They also helped these 

defendants to reintegrate into society with the hope of preventing the defendants from committing crimes again. The 

following people provided legal defence: Mitsuharu Kataoka, Izuru Kato, Reiko Koizumi, taro nakashima and 

Chiyokazau shindo. 

CHARItABLe ACtIVItIes 

Gareth edward’s 60th birthday gala dinner 

On 8 June 2007, five members of Tokyo office and our clients participated in Gareth Edward’s 60th Birthday Gala 

Dinner, organised by the Tyler Foundation, a children’s cancer charity. Money was raised by selling raffle tickets, 

having special live events and auctions. We raised Yen230,000 to donate to the Tyler Foundation. The following 

people participated at the gala dinner: Aled Davies, scott neilson, Andrew Roche, Gareth Ryan and 

Richard White. 

KidsXpress donation 

In July 2007, Mike Young organised a donation of AUD200 to KidsXpress, a charity that supports disadvantaged 

children of between four and 14. 



tokyo Charity Cup 

On 6 October 2007 nine members of the Tokyo office 

participated in the Tokyo Charity Cup, a fundraising 

football tournament, organised by UK law firms and 

investment bankers in Japan. The event was in aid of 

“Nanohana no Ie” (Wildflower House) to support children 

from dysfunctional families and of the “House for Women 

Saalaa” to support foreign women victims of violence in 

Tokyo. We raised Yen200,000. Those who participated 

were: David Gartside, Glen McAskill, Hans Menski, 

toshikazu Miyamoto, David Peters, Joshua schwab, 

Kyoko shimoyamada, Jeremy White and Richard White. 

Christmas gifts donation 

In December 2007 members of Tokyo office made a charitable donation of Yen11,800 by purchasing gifts through a 

UNICEF gift catalogue. The following people contributed to the donation: saki Hasegawa, Kyoko shimoyamada, 

Chiyokazau shindo, Kikue tamura, Kazumasa tateno and Mayuko Yoshii. 

Charity Quiz night 

On 24 April 2008, the Tokyo office entered a team to take part in Charity Quiz Night, organised by “Make-A-Wish 

Foundation of Japan”, a non-profit group to help children who are battling life-threatening illnesses. By taking part, 

the Tokyo office donated Yen100,000. The following people participated: Portia edmiston, nick Fawcett, David 

Gartside, Ryan Loren, Hans Menski, Dominic saunders and Joshua schwab. 

Autism Awareness Day 

Allen & Overy is a sponsor of the Autism Awareness Family Day which this year was held on 4 April 2008 to mark 

the UN designated World Autism Awareness Day. We raised Yen250,000. Funds raised through the event will be 

sent to the Tokyo Life Line, the Autism Society Japan and other local autism charities. The event was co-organised 

by Clare Humphreys (wife of partner Jason Humphreys). Kaori nasu and Yui Hanza helped with arranging this 

event and Jason Humphreys participated in the event on the day. Various members of the office also contributed to 

a fundraising raffle for the same good causes. 

LUXeMBOURG 

The Luxembourg office is developing long-term relationships with two selected associations, one local and one 

international. This fits in well with our position of being a local Luxembourg firm with historic roots and also, at 

the same time, being a member of an international network. Even though poverty, sickness and inequality are 

still evident within our own community, we should never ignore the situation in other parts of the world, where the 

situation is often far worse. 

That is why, on the one hand, we have maintained our growing relationship with la Fondation Sclérose en Plaques 

Luxembourg and, on the other hand, we accepted a request from Against Malaria Foundation (AMF) to provide it 

with pro bono legal support. Requests, events, progress and donations are centrally managed by our marketing 

manager, Cédric Delahaye, and then allocated to support staff and fee-earners on a voluntary basis. 


A large part of individual pro bono work is done by trainees who, during their two-year traineeship, are obliged by 

the Luxembourg Bar to take on a yearly quota of commissions d'office, to provide legal assistance to people who 

have insufficient financial resources to pay for a full-cost lawyer. Our Know-How Manager and one senior associate 

oversee these cases. 


La Fondation sclérose en Plaques Luxembourg 


La Fondation Sclérose en Plaques Luxembourg is an association which supports research into finding a cure for 

multiple sclerosis and provides support for patients and their families. The Luxembourg office is legal counsel for 

this association and Marc Feider, the office's Managing Partner, is a member of the board. In the past year, we 

assisted with the association’s real estate requirements, as well raising funds by taking part in the Luxembourg 

marathon (see below). 

Regular pro bono work 

Prior to admission to the Bar, Luxembourg lawyers must, as part of their training, undertake a certain minimum 

number of cases in the Luxembourg courts in the areas of insolvency, liquidation, criminal, divorce, administrative 

or tax law, civil, lease contract, labour law and commercial law. The majority of cases undertaken tend to concern 

requests for political asylum, refugee status, divorce and drug-related criminal behaviour. 

As part of their pro bono obligations, trainees may be required to be on stand-by at night or over the weekend in 

order to go to police stations and the courts at short notice. All Luxembourg trainees have to make themselves 

available for two “Saturday clinics” during their traineeship. At each clinic, they have to provide legal advice to 

whoever turns up. 

The following trainees provided legal advice this year: Sabine Belair, tom Berend, Julie Chartrain-Hecklen, 

nicolas Fermaud, Augustin Gille, Colette Lorang, Anne Morocutti, Paul Péporté, Françoise schroeder and 

Florent trouiller. 

Christiane Denzle and Donata Grasso provided the young lawyers with support and advice. During the past year, 

trainees have advised on 38 cases. 

Against Malaria Foundation (AMF) 

Against Malaria Foundation is an international charity that held its first major fundraising event in 2005. Funds were, 

and are, raised by people taking part in sponsored swims and from direct donations. The foundation uses these 

funds to buy long-lasting insecticidal nets which are then distributed to selected locations via the Red Cross and 

other distribution partners. All of the money raised goes directly to paying for bed nets. There are no administrative 

overheads, because of support offered by organisations such as Allen & Overy, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Citigroup 

and Microsoft. The A&O network has been extremely helpful in advising AMF on the need to set up local foundations 

or associations in various countries. 

Allen & Overy Luxembourg advised the charity on the potential benefits and tax advantages of establishing a 

Luxembourg association. Having found that this was the case, we assisted the foundation with local registration. 

The registration of the new association in Luxembourg is currently in progress and the lawyers in charge of the 

project are Patrick Mischo (tax) and Augustin Gille (corporate finance). 


In spring 2008 several members of the office and other overseas departments (14 A&O people in total) took part 

in the Luxembourg ING Marathon and raised money for la Fondation Sclérose en Plaques Luxembourg. The 

participants were sponsored by private individuals and 

raised €1,905. Allen & Overy Luxembourg doubled this 

amount and made a further donation of €3,810. The 

following people participated in the run: 

Luxembourg: Christophe Balthazard, tom Berend, 

nicole Di Vora-Pissinger, Caroline Hay, steve Koenig, 

André Marc, Philippe ney, Arnaud Pabst, Paul Péporté, 

Jean schaffner and Robert steinmetzer. 

London: Adam Luckie. Paris: Luke Muchamore. 

Bratislava: Martin Magal. 

The office participation was managed by Aurélia Wieseler, 

assisted by Carline François. 



netHeRLAnDs 

The Amsterdam office has long adopted a strong policy of corporate social responsibility, in which our pro bono work 

has always played a central role. Employees value the opportunities to get involved in pro bono and community 

work. Over the past year we have invested over 1,000 hours on such initiatives. 

Under the global theme of “access to education and employment”, the Amsterdam office does a variety of work 

for local charitable organisations and initiatives. Important themes that link our CSR programme are “children” 

and “Amsterdam”. 

The office has a partnership programme with three Dutch charities – War Child, Amsterdam Cares and the Giving 

Back Foundation. Additionally, our partners encourage staff involvement in pro bono or community work projects, 

resulting in work for nearly 50 different charitable organisations in the past year. The programme is co-ordinated by 

the Partnership Secretary, Mieke De Vos. 

tHe GIVInG BACK FOUnDAtIOn 

The Giving Back Foundation helps secondary school students from around the Netherlands who have poor career 

expectations to develop into well-rounded individuals with good prospects. These children, often from ethnic 

minorities, are offered a mentor and group programme comprising workshops, excursions, meetings and other 

activities. We have been involved in a number of activities in support of the Giving Back Foundation, as follows: 

Legal workshop 

Each year, the Amsterdam office organises a popular legal workshop for the mentees of Giving Back, designed by 

steven schuit. Together with a team of ten lawyers, he hosts this workshop in which the group prepares and enacts 

a court case. The students play the roles of plaintiffs, lawyers and judges. The workshop gives students an idea of 

what the legal profession is about and what the opportunities are if they choose to develop in that direction. 

“A musical handshake” 

On 28 November 2007 we combined our sponsorship of the Dutch Royal Concert Orchestra and our partnership 

with Giving Back to create “the musical handshake”. Allen & Overy invited the Amsterdam mentees and their 

mentors to join our senior associates and orchestra members for dinner and a concert in the “Concertgebouw”. Held 

especially for Giving Back mentees, the event offered a unique opportunity to learn more about our lawyers, the legal 

profession and classical music. The event turned out to be a great experience for all participants. 

Other services 

We also help the foundation with pro bono legal advice and deliver practical help in the form of secretarial support 

and meeting room facilities. 

In the past year volunteers have included: Martijn Brinkhuis, ellen Cramer-De Jong, Jasper De Jong, 

tessa De Mönnink, Marnix De Planque, Aleid De savornin Lohman, Matthijs Driedonks, Marianne Drijgers, 

Kiki Grooss, nicolette Huisman, Godfried Kinnegim, thomas Kollée, Quinten Kroes, Jelle Menalda van 

schouwenburg, Catelijne Muller, Barbara nijhuis, Joris Ravelli, sophie Roozendaal, Paula ter Beek, 

Jetty tukker, esther Van Der Plaat and suzette Van Gendt. 

More information (in Dutch) can be found on: www.givingback.nl 

WAR CHILD 

War Child provides psychosocial assistance to children in war-affected regions by means of psychological aid using 

creative therapies. The objective is to improve the healthy psychological development of children who can then 

contribute to the peaceful future of their countries. The Amsterdam office has a long-standing relationship with War 

Child and the partnership has encompassed a great variety of projects, among which are: 

Pro bono support 

Since 2005 we have assisted War Child with the notarial performance of donations. After execution of the notarial 

deeds, all work that needs to be done to complete the donations is also carried out for War Child. In addition to this, 

we provide other pro bono advice on a regular basis to the charity. 


Other support 


In the past year we have further strengthened the relationship with War Child by creating more opportunities for 

employees to get involved. Initiatives have included the participation in the Peace, Love and Ice Cream programme 

of War Child in August 2007. Together with Ben & Jerryʼs, the ice cream maker, War Child offers organisations 

the opportunity to ‘rentʼ a fridge with Ben & Jerry's ice cream for €1,000. The contribution goes fully to War Child 

projects in Sierra Leone. Allen & Overy donated the fridge to the nationwide “Advolympics”, the annual sports event 

organised by and for Dutch lawyers in Amsterdam. 

In September 2007 an Allen & Overy team raised money for War Child in the Dam-to-Damloop, a ten-mile run from 

Amsterdam to Zaandam. 

On 3 October 2007 a group of eight senior associates invited some of their clients to join them for the popular 

annual War Child concert. This event raised the profile of War Child amongst our clients, generating new “Friends of 

War Child”. 

In February 2008 the Banking and Real Estate practice organised the first “Charity on Ice” skating event. Together, 

the participants managed to skate together a great donation for War Child. 

In the past year participants have included: Leontine Bark, ellen Cramer-De Jong, Arnold Croiset Van Uchelen, 

Richard De Haan, Maarten De Jong, tessa De Mönnink, Marianne Drijgers, Liesbeth Franx-schaap, 

Daniel Gerdes, Kiki Grooss, Rolinde Hoorntje, Charlotte Horsten, sigrid Jansen, Godfried Kinnegim, 

Jelle Menalda Van schouwenburg, Michiel Odink, Joris Oster, tina Raaijen, Leonie sinnige, tania smith, 

Jetty tukker, niels Van Loon, Marleen Veenstra, theo Visser and Marinus Winters. 

More information (in Dutch) can be found on: www.warchild.nl 

AMsteRDAM CARes FOUnDAtIOn 

Barbara nijhuis and Maaike Janssen are members of the board of the Amsterdam Cares Foundation. The 

mission of the Amsterdam Cares Foundation is to increase the social involvement of Amsterdam-based companies 

and their employees by organising flexible volunteering opportunities that have a positive impact on individuals and 

communities. Accessible for people who work and live in Amsterdam, people who have busy lives with busy jobs, 

sports and social activities, people with views, opinions and ideas, but most of all people who care. 

Amsterdam Cares offers hands-on flexible volunteer work. Volunteers can get involved in activities ranging from 

playing board games with homeless people and providing hot drinks for the elderly, to taking part in dance sessions 

with children with learning disabilities. 

In 2006 volunteers of Amsterdam Cares provided services to more than 1,180 people in need of help with over 

10,620 hours of volunteer work. 

To date, more than 40 people working at the Amsterdam office (both lawyers and support staff) have signed up to 

become volunteers for Amsterdam Cares. 

Community Work 

Over the past 12 months Allen & Overy employees have volunteered to assist in numerous projects offered by 

Amsterdam Cares for children with disabilities and the elderly. Projects include a visit to the Christmas Fair, the 

“Austrian dinner and concert” and a “Valentines dinner”. 

Other support 

Amsterdam Cares also benefits from pro bono legal advice from our lawyers, enabling them to run a 

professional organisation. 

During the Christmas period the majority of the office participated in a special project for Amsterdam Cares that 

benefited the children of the Amsterdam “Voedselbank”. This was the “Donate a toy” initiative. In total employees 

donated over 165 new gifts for Amsterdam children living in poverty. With the additional gifts bought from the office 

Christmas donation we collected over 700 gifts that were handed out to the children through the Red Cross. 



In the past year participants have included: Cynthia Cournuejouls, Robert-Jan De Bruin, Linde Groven, 

Maaike Janssen, Pit Kuijper, Leon Mensink, Barbara nijhuis, eveline scholvink, Angelique schuyt, 

Mardin smayel, Critania smith, Jochem spaans, Bas stevens, Carolijn Ulmers, Jantine Vermont, 

Luurt Wildeboer and Merel Zwankhuizen. In addition, around half of the office employees donated a toy for 

the “Donate a toy” initiative. 

More information (Dutch) can be found on: www.amsterdamcares.nl 

stICHtInG LeZen & sCHRIJVen 

Stichting Lezen & Schrijven (The Reading & Writing Foundation) is an initiative of Princess Laurentien of the 

Netherlands. The foundation was launched in May 2004 (with which we assisted), its objective being to devote 

attention to the 1.5 million members of the Dutch population who, because of poor literacy, are unable to participate 

fully within society. The foundation aims to stimulate debate about this problem and to contribute to its alleviation. 

Volunteers have included: Jasper de Jong, Martin Plak, Wijnanda Rutten and Michiel Wuisman. 

More information (Dutch) can be found on: www.lezenenschrijven.nl 

PRO BOnO WORK 

The activities described above are a general overview of the pro bono and community work carried out by the 

Amsterdam office and its individual employees. This overview, however, is not an all-embracing report of all our 

community work. The work of our non-legal staff, for instance, is not registered in a pro bono timekeeping system. 

Furthermore, many of the initiatives taken by our fee-earners are not recorded. That is because in the Netherlands, 

pro bono and community work are often regarded as private commitments, not as commitments to or of the firm. 

Other work over the past year has included that for Madurodam, Plan Nederland, Stichting Streetwise Network, 

AMREF, Ronald McDonald Stichting, Stichting Kids Moving the World, Stichting Missing Children Europe and 

Stichting ZAM-net. 

Additionally, the Employment department of the Amsterdam office regularly acts on a pro bono basis for individuals 

who have difficulties with their employers but who can neither afford to pay for legal advice nor are eligible to apply 

for state-subsidised lawyers. We only offer such help where the employers in such instances are not our clients. 


We participated in the Peace, Love and Ice Cream programme of War Child in August 2007 (see above). 

Two A&O teams participated in the Dam tot Damloop run (see above). 

It is customary for the Amsterdam office to contribute to charity at Christmas, with many employees choosing to 

contribute part of their salary to a given cause. The office Christmas contributions this year went to Amsterdam 

Cares and Giving Back. 

The Amsterdam Cares Christmas donation was used to boost the amount of Christmas gifts we could donate to the 

“Donate a toy” initiative of the Red Cross. Gifts went to the 1,400 Amsterdam Children living under the bread line 

and that receive food support from the Amsterdam “Voedselbank”. Altogether around 700 new gifts were donated. 

Also at Christmas, the Amsterdam office purchased War Child Christmas Cards, hence donating to their cause. 

During the year the office supports Giving Back by providing much needed meeting room facilities and secretarial 

support. This support enables the foundation to maintain a professional service levels to its volunteers and partners 

as well as keeping costs down. 

We sponsored the Kinder en Jongerenrechtswinkel, an organisation that offers children free access to legal 

expertise and help. 


POLAnD 


The Warsaw office is very active in pro bono and community work. We have developed a diverse pro bono and 

community affairs programme which reflects the interests, aspirations and skills of our staff. 


In June 2007 Allen & Overy Warsaw established a partnership with PILI (Public Interest Law Institute) by signing a 

declaration on Pro Bono Publico. The declaration was discussed by representatives of various law firms during 

a meeting held by the Constitutional Tribunal on Legal Pro Bono Support in Poland. The following law firms took 

part in the discussion panel: Dewey Ballantine, Hogan & Hartson, Lovells, Miller Canfield, Baker & McKenzie, 

White & Case, Linklaters, Gide Loyrette Nouel and seven Polish law firms. Allen & Overy was represented by 

Arkadiusz Pędzich. 

PILI is an international NGO headquartered in Budapest which advances human rights around the world by 

stimulating public-interest advocacy and developing the infrastructure to sustain it. PILI pursues its objectives 

through five programmes: promoting pro bono practice, legal aid reform, legal education reform, NGO advocacy 

training, and public interest law fellowships. 

We are now acting to identify possibilities for Allen & Overy’s (Warsaw) active participation in PILI’s projects. We 

are also establishing a partnership with one of the charity brokers. We have selected three of them: International 

Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, Centrum Pro Bono (Clearing House) and ENGAGE acting through Centrum 

Wolontariatu. We are about to make the final choice. After signing the agreement, we provide pro bono assistance 

to a range of not-for-profit organisations and charities (and in some cases to individuals) that will be referred to us by 

the charity broker. 


The Warsaw office supports two orphanages on a regular 

basis – the Tczew Orphanage in the Pomorskie Voiodeship, 

northern Poland and the Kruszwica Orphanage 

near Inowrocław. 

In December 2007, during the Christmas party, we 

organised a charity auction to raise money for our 

sponsored charity. It was a huge success since we 

managed to raise PLN129,000. The money collected 

during the auction was spent on Christmas presents for 

children from the Tczew orphanage. Some of the money 

raised will be spent during the year on new clothes, bed 

linen and books for the children, furniture, paying for holidays for the children, sightseeing trips, renovation and 

redecoration (for example new playground equipment, preparing the football and volleyball fields, new entrance 

door), and paying for internet connections. 

Legal education 

As in previous years, we donated PLN20,000 to ELSA (the European Law Students Association) and £10,000 to the 

British Centre to support legal education in Poland. 


The community activities of the Warsaw office are linked to our relationships with the two selected orphanages and 

includes the following activities: 

n in June 2008, organising a weekend in Warsaw for older children from the Tczew orphanage to visit the most 

important cultural sites and to have lunch; to visit the office where they will be given a presentation on the legal 

profession; to have dinner and a trip to an IMAX cinema; 

n providing computer training; 



n giving a workshop on the job application process; 

n in summer 2008, renovating and redecorating the 

kids’ playroom in the Tczew Orphanage; 

n organising Christmas events; 

n individual staff committments (e.g. participating in 

summer camp/weekend with the children). 

Our mission is to show the children the possibilities for 

their future and to encourage self-development. 

RUssIA 

Our community work is managed by the Moscow office marketing team, particularly ekaterina Gorchakova and 

natasha Gagarina. The office has had a relationship with an orphanage in the Moscow region since 2000, 

and over the past year, a pro bono committee has been formed to help set the course of the office’s pro bono 

programme development. 

PRO BOnO WORK 

We have established contacts with the pro bono clearing house of the Public Interest Law Institute (PILI). PILI 

identifies clients and matters that are likely to be acceptable to the interested firms and companies. Every month 

we get a list from PILI with descriptions of opportunities for pro bono work. As this is the first time we have worked 

with a pro bono clearing house in the Russian market, the procedures and policies are still in the process of being 

developed. PILI has arranged for training and seminars that may be relevant to us. 

Kyle Davis has been key in developing this new pro bono initiative in the Moscow office, along with tony Humphrey, 

stephen Matthews, Anton Konnov and Vasily Averin. Vasily Averin, Ilya Kuznetsov and Olga Labutova 

have all participated in training sessions in preparation for taking on pro bono work through the clearing house scheme. 

COMMUnItY AnD CHARItABLe ACtIVItIes 

Krasnopolyansky orphanage and Podolsky orphanage 

Since 2000 the Moscow office has been helping the Krasnopolyansky orphanage which is situated in the village of 

Krasnaya Polyana (Red Meadow), about 20km from Moscow. The orphanage is specially designed for children who 

suffer from various diseases of the central nervous system, intra cranial pressure (ICP), and, starting from the end 

of last year, children with AIDS. About 70 children permanently reside at the orphanage, ranging in age from several 

months to four years. 

Every year staff take part in charitable fundraising with 

the purpose of providing children from the orphanage 

with the necessities of life. In October, a number of 

staff members visited the Krasnopolyansky Orphanage, 

a visit organised by natasha Gagarina and ekaterina 

Gorchakova. As a result of contributions made by 

the staff members of A&O, we were able to buy a lot of 

things required by the children: children’s clothes and 

shoes, food, juices and fruits, baby cream, wipes and 

medicine to keep the orphanage well provisioned for a 

long time. 

This year, eugenia Okanova, natalya Dontsova and 

others also gave a puppet performance for the children. 



natalya Dontsova wrote after the visit: “For me it 

was alarming but very useful experience to see that 

there's another side of life, and that there are people 

who need our help and support. From birth, these 

children have had nothing good happen to them. 

Compared with them, you realise how lucky you are. 

We are so used to living in comfort that it's hard to 

imagine that there are many helpless kids. But we 

can really help them, and that is why I fully endorse 

the policy of Allen & Overy management to support 

those who need our care and kind attention.” 

This year, we also decided to support a second 

orphanage. This is the Podolsky Orphanage, based 

in Podolsky near Moscow. This orphanage houses 

around 50 children, who suffer from ICP, Down's syndrome and other diseases of the central nervous system. At 

the instigation of Olga Zaitseva staff members visited the orphanage and handed over essential goods such as 

medicine, food, diapers and household supplies. 

Christmas cards donation 

This year, for the first time, instead of producing printed Christmas cards, we made a donation to 

Krasnopolyansky Orphanage. 

Furniture Donations 

We donated office furniture which was no longer required, following the move of our Moscow office, to several 

boarding schools and orphanages in Moscow and the surrounding region,. 

sInGAPORe 

A&O Singaporeʼs pro bono programme supports local charities that provide assistance to children, the elderly and 

the disabled. We also participate in cross-border programmes that help the homeless and those in disaster-struck 

locations in Asia. The programme is run with assistance from partners Ken Aboud, John Richards and 

Kayal sachi. The initiatives are managed by sharon How and participation is encouraged by all levels of staff. 


Batam Build Project 

The firm took two teams of staff volunteers in March 

and April 2008 to Batam, Indonesia, to participate and 

contribute towards Habitat for Humanity. This organisation 

is committed to eliminate sub-standard housing. About 

a quarter of the office went, including partners, lawyers, 

professional assistants and other staff members. Our teams 

worked alongside local residents to build Habitat houses 

and, in return, we gained an educational experience within 

this cross-cultural/border environment. 



JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge 

This is an annual event in Singapore for the staff. This year more than a dozen A&O runners completed the 5.6 km 

JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge. The theme of the event was ʼTeaming Up For A Greener Tomorrow” and, in 

support of the green initiative, the team walked to the starting point from the office instead of taking transportation. 

The race helped support the new ImaginAsia programme at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, designed 

to provide an educational, confidence-inspiring day for at-risk children. 

John Richards, a partner in the Singapore office who was a member of the team, said, “It was great fun to run with 

such a large A&O team in support of what has now become a well established and supported event amongst the 

Singapore corporate community.” 


Charitable donations 

We made donations to a family service centre to pay for Christmas presents for 250 children and to a home for the 

elderly to purchase food and daily necessities for the residents. In addition, we helped fund activities that raise funds 

for charities that support those with Down’s syndrome, learning disabilities and autism. 

Donation of computer equipment 

We have also donated computer equipment to a number of charitable organisations. 

sLOVAK RePUBLIC 

Partners Jane townsend and Hugh Owen oversee the pro bono and community activities of the Bratislava office, 

which are co-ordinated by Eva Sedničková. 

COMMUnItY ACtIVItes 

the Young Roma Artist education Fund (YRAeF) 

Allen & Overy Bratislava continues to support YRAEF, a project which started in 2005 in co-operation with 

Association for Culture, Education and Communication (ACEC). The YRAEF selects gifted Roma children, who then 

attend ACEC educational centres for help with their studies. The children learn how to play musical instruments, 

read music and sing. The more talented of them also learn other specialised skills needed to be accepted into music 

conservatories in Bratislava and Košice. In the past year two new educational centres have opened in the eastern 

region and a leader of a famous Roma band, Sendrejʼs, has become a teacher in one of these centres. 

enGAGe 

Allen & Overy Bratislava continues to be an active member of the 

ENGAGE group. ENGAGE is an international network of businesses and 

community organisations which collaborate to bring together employees 

and their communities around the globe. Here are some of the projects 

organised by ENGAGE in which A&O has participated in the past year. 

Calvary in Banská Štiavnica 

This project gave us an opportunity to join a volunteering initiative which 

aimed to help to renovate a UNESCO heritage site – the Calvary in Banská 

Štiavnica (Middle Slovakia). In July 2007, ten A&O volunteers spent an 

active weekend in Banská Štiavnica where they mowed, cleaned and 

repaired wooden benches and wooden steps. This project has been very 

successful and popular among all the volunteers who are looking forward 

taking part again this year. 


Improving Bratislava 


In September 2007, A&O Bratislava took part in a number of 

community activities in the city. The scheme was organised by 

the group of companies who are part of ENGAGE in co-operation 

with the Pontis Foundation. A&O Bratislava joined with more 

than 400 volunteers and 20 other organisations to take part in a 

number of social and environmental projects. Some volunteers 

from A&O Bratislava provided help to an animal sanctuary 

which had just been built, by cleaning and providing general 

maintenance support. An analyst from our IT department 

provided the Fair Play Alliance (a Slovakian non-governmental 

organisation that monitors political party finance and promotes transparency in party financing and procurement) with help 

on computer usage and local IT issues. Another team built a natural barrier to prevent erosion in one of the city parks and to 

ensure that forest vegetation can grow. 

The purpose of these activities was to “make the city of Bratislava more beautiful and enhance the environment in which 

we live,” says Eva Sedničková, Slovakia Business Services secretary with A&O, “but it also gave us the opportunity to 

meet people from other organisations including past and present clients. Working together on projects which we all had an 

interest in was a really novel way to meet.” 

Club for Childrenʼs Hope 

At the end of 2007, some of our staff members approached the Club for Children's Hope to offer their help. That 

brought them into contact with the Childrenʼs Hospital in Bratislava. They now regularly visit the hospital, spending 

time with the children, who are cancer sufferers, reading to them and playing with them. They have also organised 

trips for the children to concerts and camping trips. We hope that this will become a principal project involving 

Allen & Overy Bratislava. 


Baden-Powell Foundation 

We donated €1,700 to the Baden-Powell Foundation in relation to one of the ENGAGE projects – the renovation of 

the Calvary in Banská Štiavnica. 

the American Chamber of Commerce 

We donated €900 to the American Chamber of Commerce in the Slovak Republic, which organised its 13th 

Annual AmCham Thanksgiving Charity Drive. Continuing this Thanksgiving tradition, AmCham has identified the 

following organisations, located throughout Slovakia, as worthy recipients of the donated funds: Civil Association 

Cardo, Children’s Hospital in Košice, Association Dživipen Život, Crisis Centre Dúha, J. Murgaš Foundation, Krista 

Veľkňaza Institute, Civil Association Medzi nami, Memory Foundation, Mother Theresa Missionaries of Charity, 

House of Social Services Slatinka, House of Social Services Svetluška. 

Club for Childrenʼs Hope 

We donated €300 to the Club for Children's Hope to support their activities with the children suffering from cancer. 

They regularly organise camps and other various trips and activities. 

UnICeF 

The office raised funds for UNICEF to support orphans in Uganda. Staff donated €257 from their own pockets. 

The money raised will go towards helping 6,206 orphaned children in the Kamwenge and Kitgum districts. 

enGAGe 

As members of ENGAGE, we pay a membership fee of €900, which money is used to support general activities 

by ENGAGE. 



the British Chamber of Commerce 

Allen & Overy donated a bag of toys to the British Chamber of Commerce Christmas dinner. These toys were 

donated to an orphanage in Košice. 

Last year Allen & Overy Bratislava also donated two photocopiers to a local elementary school. 

sPAIn 

The Madrid office manages its pro bono and community programmes through a committee formed by partners 

(eduardo sebastian De erice and Antonio Vazquez-Guillén) and associates and staff support (Maribel Gonzalez 

and Julio Alonso). We are looking at the themes of corporate responsibility, environment, people and special 

projects. We always take into consideration the needs of our local community and how we can work with local 

non-profit Spanish organisations. 

PRO BOnO WORK 

Fundación también. 

Fundación También is a non-profit organisation that works with disabled people. We advised on structuring and 

legally registering the organisation. Antonio Vazquez-Guillén has been leading a group of associates that have 

given their expertise to the foundation. Others involved were: Borja Fernandez, Clara Garvayo, Ignacio Hornedo, 

Gonzalo Jimenez, enrique Lopez de Ceballos, Alicia Muñoz-Costi, Rocio Pulido, Pilar sanchez and Cesar sanz. 

Asociación española Contra el Cáncer (AeCC) 

A team of associates has assisted AECC to recover possession of a property in Madrid that had been bequeathed 

by a former member. We have also assisted AECC in relation to agreements for the lease of premises for the 

development of their ongoing business. 


Fundacion empresa y sociedad 

Fundacion Empresa y Sociedad is a member of Business in the Community, and identifies projects in need of 

community support. We are working on a couple of projects, to encourage youngsters to stay at school to complete 

their education and another to provide for the elderly. 


Acción Contra el Hambre 

This involves a day in which staff eat just one meagre meal to last the entire day, equivalent to the amounts that 

refugees the world over often live on every day. This impresses upon them the difficult conditions in which refugees 

have to live. Staff raised total donations of €1,000, a sum which the firm matched. 

tHAILAnD 

The Bangkok office continues to support charities and foundations for children and education in Thailand. We 

encourage all members of staff to become involved in pro bono and social community work. As well as providing 

support to the local community, those involved in these projects also benefit from them, improving their skills and 

gaining a valuable and justified sense of satisfaction and achievement. The themes of our office pro bono and 

community programme are based on firmwide themes but also cover staff interests and local community needs. 


PRO BOnO WORK 

Plant-A-tree-today (PAtt Foundation) 

We are advising PATT Foundation on its establishment as a charitable organisation in Thailand. 

COMMUnItY WORK 

teacher Plus Foundation 


The Teacher Plus Foundation funds teachers, equipment, facilities and teacher training programmes in northeast 

Thailand to endeavour to give rural students the same educational opportunities as those experienced by students 

in the cities. The aim is also to help them to develop their thinking and analytical skills. We regularly support the 

Teacher Plus Foundation with money, used computers and fundraising. 

school trip 

We regularly organise trips for staff to visit schools in the provincial areas. The aim of this project is to support local 

education projects and underprivileged children in Thailand. Staff contribute to this project by donating various items 

such as sports equipment, stationery, books, food, used clothing and money. 

In September 2007, we visited Baan Tung Sala School in Ratchaburi province. The firm and staff supported the 

school by donating equipment for the playground by donating fans, tables, chairs and crockery for the canteen. We 

also donated food, clothing, stationery and sports equipment, and gave money to fund scholarships for some of the 

poorer students. 

Away Weekend Fundraising Day 

This year we included pro bono and community work in our 

away weekend programme. This entailed some fundraising, 

the proceeds of which were given to a nearby school. Staff 

also donated used computers, books, stationery and clothing. 

Computer Recycling Project 

During the course of the year, the Bangkok office donated 

15 computers to various charities and schools in provincial 

areas, including the Suan Kaew Temple Foundation and the 

PATT Foundation. 

tree Planting Weekend 

Staff participated in a tree planting trip organised by 

PATT Foundation. We planted 400 rubber trees in Chantaburi 

province together with volunteers from other organisations, 

villagers, local teachers and students. The trees are located 

on land adjacent to a school and the staff and students will be 

responsible for ensuring the trees are looked after. When the 

trees are mature the school will harvest the rubber produced 

and sell it, using the income raised to help the local community. 

the British Community in thailand Foundation for the 

needy (BCtFn) 

Every year the Bangkok office supports the annual fundraising event “Ploenchit Fair” organised by BCTFN under 

the auspices of the British Embassy. The Fair is an international community event, with representation from almost 

every country and culture – all with the common goal of improving the lives of the poor and the underprivileged. 

Funds raised go to various Thai charities. 



the thai Red Cross society 

Each year, we donate money to the Thai Red Cross Society to support the annual fundraising event “Thai Red 

Cross Fair”. 

UnIteD ARAB eMIRAtes 

Whilst pro bono efforts have not featured heavily in the Middle East business activities over the past year, as the 

region grows and the market develops, businesses are becoming more attuned to the idea of giving something back 

to the community. A new pro bono team has taken on the role of co-ordinating activities in the UAE offices, and 

we hope to get involved with as much CSR and pro bono work as possible in the region. What follows below is a 

summary of those activities the offices have participated in over the past year. 

CHARItABLe DOnAtIOns 

Cricket for Charity tournament 

In November 2007, the office made a donation of AED5,000 in support of a Cricket for Charity Tournament organised 

by Linklaters. 

Dubai and Hatta Desert Challenge 

In December 2007, sheryl niblett was part of a team that took part in a charity challenge, riding across the Dubai 

and Hatta desert for 478 kilometres, reaching the destination of Muscat in a record 22 hours and raising AED4,800 

from staff donations. 

Dubai terry Fox Run 

In February 2008, Aimee Maskell and Joanne tull took part in the Dubai Terry Fox Run at Al Mazmar Park. They 

both gave personal donations of around AED200 each. 

Recycling and In-Kind Donations 

The Dubai office has recently moved premises, which gave us an opportunity to donate old furniture to The English 

College, worth approximately AED24,000, and to the Kings Dubai School, worth approximately AED46,000. 

In April 2008, desktop computers and other unwanted IT equipment was donated to three organisations: Charity of 

Hope-Shelter for Abused Women and Children; the Dubai Centre for Special Needs; and the Dubai Autism Centre. 

Throughout the year we also donated our used printer cartridges to Riding for the Disabled and Feline Friends. 

UnIteD stAtes 

Under the direction of the pro bono committee, headed by partner Ken Rivlin, the New York office again maintained 

a high level of commitment to pro bono, providing over 8,500 hours in fiscal year 2007-8. 


securing political asylum 

An A&O team secured political asylum for Ms. A., a Colombian woman, based on what the immigration judge found 

was a well-founded fear that she would suffer persecution as a result of the political activities of her sons, both of 

whom had been killed. The cross-border element of the case was unique and required documentation of human 

rights and political conditions in both Venezuela and Colombia. The legal team included: sarah Dadush, 

sara Grdan, eloise Kauvar, toby Mann, Brittany Prelogar, Jacob Pultman and Kurt Vellek. 


south Bronx arts and community centre 

A team headed by partner Kevin O’shea and including Helen Kim, 

Joanna Hancock and Randi Goring represented the New York City 

Investment Fund in connection with a loan that will go towards 

developing a former engraving plant in the South Bronx into an arts and 

community centre. The new owners plan to develop the building into a 

multi-use centre that will include office and performance space for arts 

groups, design firms, community groups, non-profit organisations and 

a food market. The building already houses two of the South Bronx’s 

most important arts organisations: BAAD! Bronx Academy of Arts And 

Dance, and Arthur Aviles Typical Theatre. These two organisations, 

founded in 1998 and 1996 respectively, have been at the forefront of 

the economic and cultural development of the South Bronx that the new 

ABN building hopes to build upon. 

Volunteer Appellate Defender programme 


Working in conjunction with the Office of the Appellate Defender’s Volunteer Appellate Defender programme, 

associate Zorka Milin represented a client who had been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for robbery, 

burglary and criminal possession of a weapon. Zorka argued the client’s appeal before the Appellate Division, 

First Department, which unanimously reversed the conviction and ordered a new trial because the client's 

constitutional right to counsel was violated when the trial judge summarily denied his request for new counsel. 

City of new York 

Several associates and partners are representing the City of New York pro bono in connection with claims of false 

arrest, malicious prosecution and deprivation of civil rights. They include: Brian De Haan, Michael Feldberg, 

Adam Herman, nicholas Mitchell, Chintan Panchal, nathan Reilly and Julie Withers. 

Human Rights Institute and America Civil Liberties Union 

Working with the Human Rights Institute of Columbia Law School and the American Civil Liberties Union, 

Aimee Ferrer, Carrie Baker, eloise Kauvar and Jacob Pultman co-authored an amicus curiae brief in a case 

pending before the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The case concerns the constitutionality of the 

so-called “Illegal Immigration Relief Act Ordinance” enacted by the town of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, which is 

intended to deter undocumented immigrants from living in that town by making it difficult for them to secure 

housing and employment. The amicus brief urges the appellate court to affirm the lower court’s ruling that the 

law is unconstitutional. 

Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) 

New York partners and associates, including David slade, Lawton Camp, Kieran Brenner, Benno Kimmelman 

and Brian De Haan are among the global Allen & Overy team who are advising the US Overseas Private Investment 

Corporation (OPIC) and the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF) in connection with the joint formation of a mortgage 

finance corporation to promote the private ownership of residential housing in Palestine. 

In another pro bono matter involving OPIC, David slade, Ricardo Martinez and Vinod Aravind provided legal 

advice and co-ordination on establishing a standby loan facility to the non-profit organisation, the Calvert Social 

Foundation. Calvert “raises investment capital through individuals and institutions, and uses it to provide affordable 

loans to non-profit organisations and microfinance lenders that assist impoverished communities in at-risk global 

markets.” The A&O team that drafted and negotiated the OPIC loan facility over the course of about three months 

required additional legal expertise from a number of lawyers in the A&O global network, including ICM partners 

Cathleen McLaughlin and Diana Billik on certain securities law issues. 



Representation of Guantanamo Bay detainees 

Allen & Overy’s New York litigation department 

continues to represent ten Yemeni citizens detained at 

Guantanamo Bay in federal habeas corpus proceedings. 

We have participated in the briefing of several appeals 

concerning the rights of non-citizens who are alleged 

“enemy combatants”, including an appeal that was 

recently argued before the United States Supreme Court 

concerning the constitutionality of legislation that purports 

to suspend the writ of habeas corpus for Guantanamo 

detainees. While the appeals are pending, Allen & Overy 

attorneys continue to visit their clients in Guantanamo 

and to lobby the US and Yemeni governments for the 

repatriation of their clients. The A&O team includes: 

sarah Havens, Julie Withers, Chintan Panchal, Carrie Baker, Brandon O'neil and Pamela Chepiga. 

Allen & Overy alumni scott sullivan and Doug Cox continue to be involved in this matter. 

Hurricane Katrina 

In conjunction with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under Law and the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers 

Project, we continued in 2007 our participation in a programme to represent residents of the US Gulf Coast whose 

homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Our work involves representing our clients 

in proceedings before the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which, in many cases, has failed to provide 

adequate financial relief. A&O lawyers involved in these cases include: Pamela Chepiga, nathan Reilly, 

Judy Mok, sarah Dadush, Carolin spiegel and Kimberlee streiff. 

Representation before the Us Court of International trade 

sarah Dadush, Chintan Panchal and todd Fishman are representing a group of former employees of a major 

US semiconductor manufacturer in litigation before the United States Court of International Trade. The clients lost 

their jobs when their plant was relocated overseas, and are challenging the US Department of Labor’s denial of their 

application for trade adjustment assistance, a government-administered programme that seeks to address some of 

the negative consequences of outsourcing in a variety of ways, such as worker retraining. The trial court issued a 

decision in our favour on 19 April 2008, and remanded the case to the Department of Labor for further consideration. 

Agaduth Israel of America 

Mitchell silk, Lanier saperstein, Owen Alterman and Judah Kupfer are continuing to represent Agudath Israel 

of America, the largest Orthodox Jewish grassroots advocacy organisation in the US with chapters in 36 states and 

over 50 cities, in various matters, including a multi-state major child custody dispute. The case involves important 

legal issues that arise in child custody matters involving education and the free exercise of religion. Mitchell and 

Judah are also assisting in the formation of a pro bono legal services programme that will be run under the Agudath. 

Domestic Violence 

Ken Coleman and Aimee Ferrer represent two victims of domestic violence in their self-petitions for US residency 

filed under the Violence Against Women Act. One client was an Ecuadorian national whom they represented in her 

successful petition to have the conditions removed on her residency. She is now a legal permanent resident in the 

US. The other is a national of the Dominican Republic. They have represented her in her filing and interview with 

USCIS, and she, too, has been granted legal permanent residency. 

U Visa immigration case 

Matthew north, Ken Coleman and Aimee Ferrer represent an Ecuadorian national in her U Visa immigration 

case. U visas are available to crime victims who assist in investigating and prosecuting crimes and have suffered 

substantial physical or emotional harm as a result. The legislation was intended to strengthen the ability of law 

enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute certain crimes against immigrants, including domestic violence. 



The client suffered severe abuse by her husband and assisted the government in investigating and prosecuting her 

husband for that abuse. The U visa was created seven years ago, but implementing regulations were not issued 

until 17 September 2007. Regulations have finally been issued and require certain filings to ensure that removal 

proceedings are not initiated against our client, who previously received interim relief. They have filed the requisite 

documents and are now awaiting further instructions. 

noor Foundation 

Dave Lewis and Brian schultz have been researching the requirements of obtaining tax-exempt status for the 

Noor Foundation, which facilitates the documentation of world events by award-winning photographers. In the near 

future, they will be assisting Noor to obtain IRS classification to allow them to receive tax-deductible donations. 

the American Institute for stuttering treatment and Professional training 

The American Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Professional Training (“AIS”) is a specialised, non-profit 

treatment centre for children, teens and adults who stutter. AIS, founded in 1997, is the only non-profit facility in the 

United States that offers both day and evening intensive and individual treatment options for people of all ages while 

also providing clinical training to both new and established speech and language pathologists and conducting public 

education and government advocacy. In February 2008, AIS was sued in a breach of contract action in New York 

state court by an event planner in connection with a fundraising event that AIS held last year. Michael Reisman 

and David esseks are defending AIS and have brought a counter-claim alleging that the event planner's failure to 

perform the contract caused substantial damages to AIS. 


Many of our lawyers devote substantial time to community service, working with or serving on the boards of national 

and local charitable and service organisations. 

Dress for success 

Members of our legal and marketing staff have been involved with Dress for Success, a non-profit organisation 

whose mission is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional 

attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. The group is 

headquartered in New York with affiliates across the US and in a number of international centres. The organisation 

also provides career development training and other services to its clients. 

Individual Activities 

Ian shrank has for six years been co-chair of the Law Firm Division of the New York Blood Services Campaign and 

is in charge of recruiting law firms in the NYC area to run blood drives on their premises. Ian is also a member of the 

Blood Service Community Relations Advisory Council which advises the New York Blood Service on how to improve 

its community relations and attract greater donations of blood and blood products. The New York office holds blood 

drives twice a year. 

Ian shrank is also a member of the Board of Trustees and chairs the Audit Committee of The Pingry School in New 

Jersey. Founded in 1861, The Pingry School is an independent, co-educational, college preparatory day school 

for students in kindergarten through the twelfth grade. The mission of the school is to foster in students a lifelong 

commitment to intellectual exploration, individual growth and social responsibility by inspiring and supporting them 

to strive for academic and personal excellence within an ethical framework that places the highest value on honour 

and respect for others. 

stephen Doody is a board member for a not-for-profit dance company, and has worked pro bono on contract, real 

estate and insurance matters for the company. 

Dan Cunningham serves as the board chair of Job Path, an organisation that supports people with developmental 

disabilities in their efforts to make choices about their lives. They provide the opportunities and support to them 

whether it is paid or volunteer work, living in their own homes or participating in community life. Job Path has helped 

people with developmental disabilities find, excel in and stay in mainstream jobs. 



In 2007, Patricia Hynes, senior counsel in Litigation, was named in the National Law Journalʼs list of the “50 Most 

Influential Women Lawyers in America”. As chair of the board of directors of the Legal Aid Society, Patricia is credited 

with saving the Society from bankruptcy. She was also elected president of the New York City Bar Association. 

Brooklyn Law school Vis Moot team 

The New York office hosted a practice session for the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Moot, an international 

moot court competition held annually in Vienna, Austria. In addition to hosting the practice moot, A&O attorneys are 

coaching a Vis team from Brooklyn Law School. A&O partner Benno Kimmelman is an adjunct professor of law 

at Brooklyn Law School, where he teaches courses in both international commercial arbitration and international 

commercial litigation. Together with A&O New York attorneys Dana MacGrath and Allie Cheatham (a recent 

alumna of Brooklyn Law School), the three are co-coaches of the inaugural Brooklyn Law School Vis moot team. 

Dana MacGrath and Benno Kimmelman served as arbitrators during the Vis moot in Vienna, which was held in 

March 2008. 



PRO BOnO AnD COMMUnItY WORK In tHe UnIteD KInGDOM 

The London officesʼ Pro Bono and Community Affairs programme is supervised and managed by the Pro Bono 

Committee. This comprises a partner or director in each department, and this year, an associate representative and 

trainee representative were elected to the committee. 

The committee is chaired by Colin Pearson (CO), and includes: David Campbell (BK), Robert Bulling (PCD), 

Mark Mansell (E&B), Mark Levy (LT), Colleen Keck (CO), David Williams (RE), Lydia Challen (TX), Chris Bernard 

(US Law Group), Angela Clist (ICM), Genevieve tennant (HR), Jason Haines (IT), suzy Hardyman (Associates) 

and Richard Whitaker (Trainees). The committee's meetings are co-ordinated by tracy smith, PA to Colin 

Pearson. The role of the committee is to encourage, supervise and recognise the commitment of volunteers in each 

department, and to give guidance and support to the Pro Bono and Community Affairs Team on policy issues. 

COMMUnItY WORK 

eDUCAtIOn 

Allen & Overy London has an active role in the social regeneration efforts taking place in Tower Hamlets, the borough in 

which we have our offices. Although Tower Hamlets encompasses some of the wealthiest companies in the country, 

it is also one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Europe. Our aim is to help with the regeneration of Tower Hamlets 

and make a real impact in the area. 

Our contribution to our local community started out through the educational schemes in 1998, addressing the needs 

of low literacy and numeracy levels. Partnerships with both primary and secondary schools continue to flourish, and 

programmes continue to develop and engage students from as early as nursery through to those who are studying 

for A-level and Degree qualifications. 

Allen & Overyʼs educational programmes reflect the changing educational and employability needs for todayʼs 

young people. 

PRIMARY sCHOOLs 

We currently offer two Primary Partner schemes to staff. These are Reading and Numeracy Partners. Primary 

Partners are people from the world of work who give up their time to help a young person improve their basic skills. 

Volunteers visit a school for half an hour one lunch time a week, or fortnight if sharing the commitment with 

a colleague. 

Reading Scheme at St Johnʼs C of E Primary School 

The scheme is in its ninth successful year. Volunteers support children with their reading, comprehension and verbal 

skills. These sessions build self-esteem, confidence and motivation to read. 

Those who have volunteered during the year are: Abisade Adenubi, Amanda Arnold, tim Austen, Paul Bedford, 

natasha Bharwani, Lisa Calder-Patrick, Ian Carnochan, Laura Cohen, Richard Cohen, susan Crabtree, 

Ingrid Curran, Imogen Dempsey, sue eve, sarah Francis, Judith Gill, narda Graham, Yvette Gustave, 

Angela Halstead, Miriam Hashim, susan Hazledine, natalie Hill, Catherine Hinchcliffe, emily Holden, 

Gillian Hoxley, Chris Jackson, tracey Jepson, Christina Johnson, Melanie Jones, siobhan Lambert, 

Caroline Lindner, Caroline Mackay, Laura-Jo Mackinnon, Kirsty McCarroll, Victoria Marsh, Katy Marx, 

eliza Meehan, Jeremy Metson, negin Minakaran, Manisha Mistry, Abdul Muith, Kim nicholl, Minesh Patel, 

Justin Pavry, Anish Raja, Helen Rigley, Jason Rix, Daniel Roberts, Jane samuelson, Claire savill, Anna saville, 

James sinclair, Catriona smith, nikki starkey, Jo taylor, Maria Vassalos, Jocelyn Virtue, Frances Williams, 

sarah Williams and nikola Zahariev. the scheme is coordinated by Cassie Austin-McKenzie, emma Fell 

and tina Menish. 



Numeracy Scheme at St Johnʼs C of E Primary School 

Volunteers support children with their numeracy through playing maths-related games. This helps to show pupils 

that numbers should be fun. The pupils are selected by the school either because they are lacking in confidence 

with their maths or need some extra support. 

Those who have volunteered during the year are: Harky Atwal, Richard Browne, Lauren Cannon, Chun Chow, 

Hayley Cook, nicola Cousins, Maya Dole, emily Dupee, thomas evans, Dave Gifford, Laura Gatward, 

Jodie Greer, Lyn Hanson, sarah Harris, Louise Howarth, Jay Jamnadas, Brooke Joy, tessa MacAndrew, 

Carys McMillan, Jenny Ljunghammar, samir Mehta, Heather Ormsby, Michelle Quinn, susie Rutherford, 

Dominic saunders, Fiona scanlon, eric stieber, sebastian steinfeld, William swan, Cameron thomson, 

Richard Whitaker, Frances Williams and Hannah Willoughby. the scheme is co-ordinated by tricia Beckford 

and sue Wisbey. 

Reading scheme at stepney Greencoats 

In May 2007 we set up a joint Reading Partner Scheme with Stepney Greencoats School in Limehouse and 

volunteers from Barclays. The scheme was set up to give staff at Bank Street an opportunity to get involved in a 

community project with children. The scheme works in the same way as our very successful reading scheme with 

St John's School in Bethnal Green. If the first year is anything to go by, the scheme will go from strength to strength. 

Staff who have volunteered during the year are: Jane Avenell, Karen Brown, Lisa Chan, torquil Gibbs, Will McAdam, 

Catherine McDougal, Amanda Osuchowski, Katherine Price, Amy Wagstaff, Richard Whitaker and 

nicole Williams, with Leighsa Kelly co-ordinating all the volunteers. 

Spitalfields City Farm Project with St Johnʼs C of E Primary School 

The Spitalfields City Farm Project is now in its second 

year. Allen & Overy sponsors the project, which 

supports Year 4 children, aged 10-11. Activities 

focus on the key curriculum subjects of literacy and 

numeracy and use real life topics to reinforce the 

learning that takes place in the classroom. Pupils 

learn, with the help of volunteers, farm staff and 

teachers, about issues including the environment, 

trade, nutrition and animal welfare. 

Those who have volunteered during the year 

are: Katherine Atkinson, Gwen Brookes, 

Lucinda Capel, Alex Capp, Bas Dixon, 

Christina Johnson, sam Merullo, Lucy simpson 

and Rachael Visick. 

Fiona Singleton, head teacher from St John's Primary 

School, commented that, “The Farm provides the children with exciting learning opportunities across the curriculum in 

the meaningful context of the farm. The project has a significant impact on pupils social and emotional development as 

well as on their progress in literacy, numeracy and science.” 

Rachael Visick has really enjoyed her time on the project: “My experience of helping with the St Johnʼs School/ 

Spitalfields City Farm project has been fantastic. It has been a real pleasure to get to know the class and work with a fun 

group of children and to see just how much A&Oʼs help is valued by the school and farm also by the children themselves.” 

A Year 4 pupil from St John's Primary School said, “I would teach other pupils how to look after animals and not to 

scare them and to make sure they have everything they need.” 


Campaign for Drawing – St Johnʼs Primary School 

As part of the Campaign for Drawing's Big East Draw, 

A&O invited students from St Johnʼs Primary School 

to brush up on their art on the roof terraces of Bishops 

Square. Pro Bono and Community affairs Officer, 

emma shaw, said, “The idea for the project came 

from former partner Ian elder, who acts as trustee 

for the charity Campaign for Drawing. He approached 

us and asked if we would be interested in sponsoring an 

event. Getting involved in the Big Draw has been great 

for strengthening our links with the local community. 

It was a chance for us to work with a new group of 

younger students from St Johnʼs and open up the city 

to young eyes.” 


Head teacher at St John's, Fiona Singleton, said: “Taking part in the campaign has provided Year 2 children at 

St John’s with a fantastic opportunity to work with professional artists on an exciting and creative project. It has been 

a marvellous project which really motivated the children and is another good example of how A&O continues to work 

with St John’s to offer the children exciting experiences to enhance their learning. The photos and artwork produced 

clearly show how much the children enjoyed the experience.” 

Volunteers who took part included: Claire Butterfill, Ingrid Curran, Francois De La Rhonde, Rod Green, 

Monica Mirchandani, emma shaw, Angela smith, Lifen tang and sue Wisbey. 

normal life experiences. It was the first time for many 

of our younger children that they had seen people 

performing on a stage. Most of our children do not 

celebrate Christmas, but this event helped them to 

enjoy something of the magic and excitement of the 

Christmas season.” 

Peter Pan event 

On 20 December 2007 Allen & Overy invited children from 

Christ Church and St Johnʼs Primary Schools to join the Peter Pan 

Extravaganza! Boo Productions provided the theme, setting up 

a childrenʼs paradise consisting of a huge pirate ship, Santaʼs 

grotto, bouncy castle, surfing, huge scalextrics track, face 

painting and a fantastic show with a real life Captain Hook, Peter 

Pan and Tinkerbell. Some 180 children aged between 4 and 11 

attended the event with their teachers and head teachers. 

Judi Hammill, the head teacher from Christ Church C of E 

Primary School, commented, “The Peter Pan event was a 

wonderful opportunity for our pupils to attend a well planned, 

resourced and managed event that was very different from their 



sweet exhibition at V&A Museum of Childhood 

The A&O Foundation donated £2,000 to help support 

the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green with its 

community programme, which involves running art projects 

with schools and community groups, to produce work 

inspired by the museumʼs collections and exhibitions 

on display. 

The foundationʼs support enabled a project with Year 1 

students from St Johnʼs C of E Primary School to take 

place. The project – Sugar and Spice – created models 

of buildings made by the students using the produce of 

colonial trade such as sugar, spice, coffee and cocoa. 

Students spent afternoons over a six-week period at the 

museum working with three artists. They were encouraged 

to study buildings in the museum's collections such as dollsʼ 

houses, as well as the surrounding city architecture, and to 

consider topics such as empire, architecture and trade. 

The children produced the following installations: 

Canary Wharf Tower – the pupils drew their own 

interpretations of the tower from memory and photographs. 

They then translated this into a large-scale model 

constructed from card and collaged with foil and 

sweet wrappers. 

Sweet Street – using the museum's Georgian dolls’ houses 

as inspiration, the pupils created an installation of an 18th 

Century street. They studied the architecture of the dollsʼ 

houses and managed to capture some of the neo-classical 

references to the architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. 

The roofs of the houses were decorated with a tantalising 

mixture of jelly beans, marshmallows and smarties! 

Added Fiona Singleton, head teacher of St Johnʼs Primary 

School, “The range of activities provided by professional 

actors and entertainers was excellent, as was the quality 

of their interaction with the children. This would be the 

first opportunity for many of our children to experience live 

entertainment such as this and was a fabulous end of term 

treat for them.” 

sue Wisbey, pro bono and community affairs assistant, 

says: “The children displayed a remarkable progression 

in their observational drawing, as they studied the 

architectural detail of the dolls' houses and developed their 

dexterous skills in the collage work. The class has returned to look at their work on display since the exhibition was 

installed, on one occasion when the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Children attended. This gave the 

children the opportunity to take pride in their achievements and meet other contributors.” 


Christ Church Music Project – Christ Church Primary school 

From January to June 2008, a team 

of Allen & Overy volunteers has 

been utilising their creative skills and 

energies on a collaborative music 

project with Christ Church C of E 

Primary School, Spitalfields and 

City Music Services (CMS). The 

project consisted of weekly workshops, 

involving music, dance, movement, 

drama, art and costume-making, which 

culminated in the performance of an 

original work to celebrate the schoolʼs 

300th anniversary in June 2008. 


Sara Charles (CMS) wrote an original 

piece exploring the last 300 years of 

the Spitalfields area in songs, dance, 

poetry and physical theatre. The children not only learnt about the history of the area, but the piece also increased 

their awareness of the world beyond school, with the intention of raising their aspirations. The creative skills and 

the confidence of the children was developed through the expressive qualities of music, dance and performance. 

Volunteers worked with the children, the teachers and CMS to put together the performance, choreographing 

dances, coaching singing, crafting props, costume and scenery, and providing audio-visual and stage management 

support, and the performance was brought to life on 26 June 2008. 

With thanks to the teachers and parents from Christ Church Primary School, Sara and Howard Charles from CMS, 

Kara Fisher from Allen & Overy, who co-ordinated the project, and all the volunteers from Allen & Overy, including 

elena Argent, Rebecca Ashford, Rachel Coates, steve Ferrett, Katie Grimshaw, Kathryn Herbert, 

Michael Hosannah, Colleen Keck, nigel Laws, tony Lesforis, Ravi Mahabir, Jessica Martin, nanet nieuwenhuis, 

sandra nsia-Boachie, susie Rutherford, Jane sandilands, Jeremy thomas, sarah Warden, Andy Watson 

and sue Wisbey. 

BetHnAL GReen teCHnOLOGY COLLeGe 

Bethnal Green Technology College (BGTC) is a secondary school 

in Tower Hamlets. The school is for children aged 11-16 in one of 

the most deprived boroughs in the UK. BGTC had been placed into 

special measures following a government inspection in late 2005. 

A&O was approached to be a key partner in the schoolʼs recovery 

plan. In July 2007 BGTC was taken out of special measures, and an 

article in the national newspapers identified the strong partnership 

between BGTC and A&O as the schoolʼs “secret weapon” in 

achieving this success. 

The A&O London office has supported students at BGTC through a 

number of educational activities (detailed below) as well as placing 

Ian thomas, a senior lawyer and member of the partnership office, on 

BGTCʼs school governing body to provide guidance on strategic and 

management issues ranging from budget control to curriculum delivery. 

Mark Keary, head teacher, notes: “We have moved on from simply 

being at the receiving end of some generous assistance and charity 

to becoming a partnership. I would like to take this opportunity 

to thank Allen & Overy for the investment in time and resources 

which have supported the school and I very much look forward to 

developing this relationship further.” 



Coaching Partners 

Coaching Partners builds on our successful mentoring scheme and is for Year 10 students (14-15 year olds) who 

need some extra help to reach their potential in school. Students attend a half-day training session every term, over 

the course of an academic year, to set and work towards goals within school and for their future life. Each student is 

assigned a volunteer coach from the business world who will meet with him or her fortnightly to keep them focussed 

on achieving their goals. 

The following staff coached pupils at Bethnal Green Technology College in Tower Hamlets: tina Alexander, 

temi Fatogun, Alis Gozen, Mirea Lynton-Grotz, Bilal Mahmood, Cleuma nascimento and James Reynolds. 

Citizenship Foundation 

The Citizenship Foundation is an educational charity which aims to promote the values of responsible citizenship 

amongst young people by increasing their understanding of law and society. As part of its twinning programme, the 

Citizenship Foundation trains lawyers and students to set up workshops to help young people learn about the law 

and current moral issues. This gives volunteers hands-on experience of teaching young people about their rights 

and responsibilities, citizenship and issues as diverse as discrimination law, consumer law, employment law, human 

rights and the youth justice system. 

Trainee solicitors together with students at the College of Law delivered sessions to the students of Bethnal 

Green Technology College. Volunteers from A&O were: Portia edmiston, thomas evans, narda Graham, 

Matthew Longstaff and shanthi Vignasen. 

Head2Head Interviews 

The scheme is run in conjunction with Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership and the aim is to introduce 

pupils to a basic interview experience and is relevant for those about to go on work experience, applying for access 

to higher education or applying for jobs. Volunteers conducted a number of 30-minute one-to-one interviews with 

Year 11 pupils (15/16 year olds), getting the young people to talk about themselves, school work, hobbies and 

interests, their achievements and their plans for the future. At the end, students were provided with feedback on 

their performance covering areas such as CV content, first impressions, body language, communication skills 

and overall performance. Volunteers on the programme were: nadine Barron, Lesley Dunne, sarah Fahy, 

Maria Iannella, Laura Kwiatkowski, Heather Ormsby and Katherine turner. 

Getting Ahead – Work-related Conferences 

Getting Ahead is a unique programme of work and 

enterprise-related activities for young people aged 

14 to 15. It is designed to develop the employability 

skills and raise the aspirations of those taking part. 

The scheme is run in conjunction with Tower Hamlets 

Education Business Partnership and the aims of the 

programme are to develop the studentsʼ life, job finding 

and enterprise skills and to raise their aspirations. 

It also offers staff involved the chance to develop their 

own team-building, motivation, management and 

communication skills. 

In its purest form, the programme lasts for two days 

and volunteers help motivate and support teams of 

students through activities and act as role models and 

add real experience and credibility to the event. As well as developing practical skills, the volunteers also gain an 

invaluable insight into inner-city schools and the local community. 

Volunteers who took part were: Lauren Cannon, Jason Featherstone, Anna Fisher, Georgina Fulham, 

Keshinda Johnson-Lewis, Laura Kwiatkowski, tinashe Makoni, Alan Mato, Charlotte Phipps, David Power, 

Laura savill, emily tew and Clare Wilson. 


Work experience 


In June 2007, A&O offered two weeksʼ work experience to nine students from Bethnal Green Technology College. 

Students were placed in departments through the firm. Those involved in the work experience weeks were: 

shabnam Amos, Jackie Hill, Kathryn Carlile, sarah Churchill, Karen Dines, Georgie edwards, emma Fell, 

Aimee Forman, Jill Fuller, emma Harris, Cathy Jameison, Audrey Larmond, Jeremy Mavor, tina Menish, 

Alix Mitchell, Michelle O'Bryan, Phoebe Olsen, Debbie Pickernell, Amy Rowe, sheena spears, Karen sumner, 

Jane templeman and Frances Williams. 

terracotta Army Project 

At the start of 2007, A&O teamed up with a social 

enterprise called Signs of Life. Since 1999, Signs of Life 

has successfully engaged with schools and community 

groups to produce distinctive murals and professional 

public art, transforming walls and spaces with educational 

and creative themes. Working with more than 160 students 

from Bethnal Green Technology College, the Signs of Life 

artists inspired students to produce their own terracotta 

army of soldiers and horses, which formed a class 

clay army. 

Volunteers were not required to be an expert on the 

history of the terracotta army or have an artistic flair for 

working with clay, just a willingness to work alongside 

students to encourage them with their creations. Those involved were: Michelle Blythe, Anne Blondel, 

sarah Fitzpatrick, Richard Griffiths, susan Hazledine, Katie Hoare, Bon Joyce, sahar Kianfar, Lucy Liu, 

Joanna Mahood, Ciaran Mcnamee, Rosemary Miles, Kenneth Okumura, Cheri Peck, Charles Philip, 

Victoria sharpe, emma shaw, tamsin sparrow and sue Wisbey. 

ARtBeAt 

Artbeat is a community arts initiative that links A&O London to secondary schools and sixth-form colleges in Tower 

Hamlets. Through Artbeat, A&O sponsors professional artists to lead in-class and after-school workshops at which 

students are challenged to create work for display at A&O’s London offices. With the opening of our new flagship 

office at Bishops Square, Spitalfields, Artbeat now has two homes in Tower Hamlets – one in Docklands and the 

other in the heart of the City of London. At the beginning of each project, the students are invited to our offices for a 

preliminary site visit and then return at the end of the project to attend an exhibition of their work. Most of the pieces 

are displayed for one year and then returned to the schools to make way for a new generation of Artbeat artwork. 

A selection of works is retained as part of A&Oʼs permanent art collection. 



In 2007, the fifth year of the initiative, 37 students from Bethnal Green Technology College participated in innovative 

workshops resulting in a manipulation of colour in multi-panelled oil works and a diverse interpretation of the 

meaning of the word “home” through the medium of clay. A&O was also invited to display a selection of Artbeat 

artwork at the Window Gallery in the Canary Wharf shopping centre for four weeks during 2008. 

Artbeat uses art to help break down the invisible barrier between the City and A&O’s neighbours in Tower Hamlets. 

The positive impact on the students is confirmed by Rob Sommerville, the participating art teacher at Bethnal Green 

Technology College: “For many of my students, the opportunities and wealth of ‘The City’ appear out of reach even 

though organisations such as Allen & Overy are only a short walk away. This project allowed my students to enter 

that world and helped to raise expectations of what and where they could be when they are older.” 

Artbeat is co-ordinated by a team of fee-earners which includes Rachel Bravard, Lauren Warner and 

Dominique Ashby, assisted by a broad cross-section of support staff, including sue smith and Leighsa Kelly, 

as well as other fee-earners and support staff. Further information can be found at www.allenovery.com/artbeat. 

Copies of the Artbeat catalogue are available from Rachel Bravard. 

Artbeat scholarship 

In the autumn/winter 2007/2008, A&O ran its Artbeat 

Scholarship and Mentoring Programme, which was 

first piloted in 2005/2006. This is a programme which is 

funded by the A&O Foundation for Artbeat participants 

and graduates who are applying to higher education 

programmes in art and design, including disciplines 

such as fine art, textiles, fashion, interior design and 

product design. The applicants were paired with A&O 

mentors who guided them on writing their personal 

statements and coached them for interviews with the 

Artbeat selection panel. The goal of the experience was 

to assist all of the applicants to acquire the “street smarts” 

of the application process. After interviewing all of the 

candidates, a £5,000 scholarship was awarded to Rafia 

Begum of Tower Hamlets College, conditional upon her 

obtaining a place at university. To recognise the high 

standards at interview that the students displayed in 

the 2006/2007 programme, the 2007/2008 programme 

saw the introduction of two “runner-up” awards of £500 

and £250. The 2007/2008 prizes of £500 and £250 were 

awarded to Anika Amrin and Stacey-Danielle Rolfe, respectively. 

tOWeR HAMLets COLLeGe 

Diversity Bursary 

Over the next three years, A&O will award bursaries of £6,000 to six students from Tower Hamlets College (THC) 

to help fund university degree courses. The scholarships will be offered to high achieving students who would find it 

challenging to attend university, for social/financial reasons. David Campbell is the partner in charge of the panel 

that awards these scholarships. 

Placement week in July 

In readiness for the Sutton Trust Pathways to Law placement week, A&O piloted a week-long placement with 10 

first-year A-level students from THC. The week was designed to give students an insight into A&O, a chance to meet 

and hear from trainee solicitors, associates and partners. A team building and confidence development session was 

organised by our in-house Personal Learning and Development Team as well valuable time spent with our HR and 

Graduate Recruitment teams. 



The template designed by A&O was then used by the innovative cross-profession partnership between the 

Sutton Trust and the College of Law, valued at £1.5 million. This aims to broaden access to the legal profession for 

students from non-traditional backgrounds through a comprehensive programme of workshops, mentoring and 

work placements. A&O has committed £20,000 per year for the next five years to this worthwhile initiative. 

Lothifa Khanom shares her experiences on the week: “Allen & Overy has given me a wonderful opportunity and 

insight into such a well established law firm. The staff are exceptionally welcoming and friendly and it is much 

appreciated. I would recommend this opportunity to anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in law.” 

Those involved in the week were: Brian Ahearne, Matthew Appleton, Kathryn Ballintine, Kathryn Boland, 

Amelia Bracken, Adam Callahan, Debbie Chambers, Binita Chowdhury, Helen Cowley, Georgina Éclair-Heath, 

Zina elimelakh, Alice Falconer, Zoe Gordon, Louise Hamilton, sarah Harris, Andy Jackson, tamsin Jones, 

Robert Kerrigan, April King, siobhan Lambert, Caroline Lindner, sophie Maggs, Richard norridge, 

Edward OʼFlynn, Caroline Pellow, Rhiannon Saunders, Harriet Territt, Ruben Van Schalkwyk, Anna Whitney 

and Hui Zheng. 

sUttOn tRUst – PAtHWAYs tO LAW PROJeCt 

Pathways to Law is a £1.5m programme which is being delivered by five leading UK universities – Leeds, LSE, 

Manchester, Southampton, Warwick – and funded by The Sutton Trust and The College of Law. It is designed to 

attract fresh talent to the legal profession by targeting students from state schools who will be the first in their families 

to attend university, and whose parents are in non-professional occupations. The project offers students careers 

advice and guidance on university applications in Years 12 and 13, provides mentoring while they are at school and 

university, and enables them to undertake work placements at law firms. 

The specific aims of the work placement at law firms are: 

n To inform Pathways students about careers within the legal profession (as lawyers and in other business areas) 

and the routes into these careers. 

n To raise Pathways students’ aspirations for law-based career opportunities. 

n To provide Pathways students with a valuable insight into the workings of a law firm, including support areas. 

n To assist Pathways students with the development of soft skills such as presentation and communication skills. 

n To give Pathways students a meaningful experience, which can be incorporated into their university applications. 



Sarah Newman, Pathways to Law student, writes: “The week I spent at Allen & Overy was an amazing opportunity. 

I got to meet inspirational people at the top of their careers, go to places I would otherwise never be able to; I had a 

fantastic time and learnt a lot. Long may you continue to offer such an outstanding opportunity to young people.” 

Those involved in organising and taking part in the week included: Caroline Addison, shabnam Amos, Patrick Arnold, 

nicole Bell, Guy Beringer, Melanie Boland, Colin Bole, Amelia Bracken, Adrian Brown, Chris Burkett, 

Andrew Castle, shankari Chandran, John Coburn, tim Conduit, Viv Cotes, stephanie Dee, natalie Donald, 

Alice Falconer, Richard Freed, James Gallagher, sara George, Zoë Gordon, Ana-Katarina Hajduka, 

sasha Hardman, natalie Hill, Bon Joyce, Val Jupp, Ron Kirschner, Hannah Lacey, Caroline Lindner, 

Maria Loucas, Bilal Mahmood, Leigh-Anne Males, Jane Masey, Louise Mathews, James McRobbie, 

Joanna neale, Claire Poli, nicola Rogers, tobi Rufus, Prashanthy shankar, emma shaw, nicola simson, 

tracy smith, tim stewart, sandy tapnack, sophie thomashausen, Ruben Van schalkwyk, Mark Wesseldine 

and Jared Zakrzewski. 

ReACH DIVeRsItY MentORInG sCHeMe 

The REACH Diversity Mentoring Scheme brings together students from the University of London (excluding 

Imperial) with our lawyers in the London office. The scheme is open to any student who feels they face particular 

barriers to career success, including, but not limited to, disability, age, race, sex, sexuality and religion. The students 

are paired with a mentor currently working in their chosen career from a range of different firms and companies, 

including A&O, so that they can find out more about the career they are interested in. The mentoring process helps 

develop the studentsʼ self-confidence, professionalism and employability skills. It is also an opportunity for mentors 

to practise their coaching skills and understand the issues faced by students from underrepresented groups. 

One of our mentees this year, a Masters student at Kings' College London, was particularly interested in IP law. He 

wanted guidance about whether he could succeed at a career in law despite being registered blind. His mentor, Jaime Lee, 

arranged for him to meet with her and IP partner Catriona smith, who had worked with partially sighted colleagues in her 

team. They had a very helpful discussion about practising law generally and how disability should not restrict his career 

choice. Caroline Lindner in Graduate Recruitment also offered the student follow-up support to discuss training contract 

application procedures and the best way to approach the graduate recruitment process. Our REACH mentors are: 

Richard Freed, Abbie Grace, Zied Hanayen, Jaime Lee, Mahmood Lone, Joanna Mahood and serena seddon. 

sCHOOL GOVeRnORs 

Staff can choose to be governors of schools both local to work and home. Through the charity, School Governorsʼ 

One-Stop Shop (SGOSS), annual recruitment drives are held for staff wishing to know more and applications are 

processed through them. 

At a School Governorsʼ One-Stop Shop Reception at the Guildhall in October, Allen & Overy was presented with a 

certificate in recognition of exceptional support to the charity. Support given to the SGOSS included reviewing a new 

lease for their premises and supplying surplus office furniture. 

The following staff are school governors: Wendy Braithwaite, Caroline Brown, Russell Clifford, Dan Cocker, 

sara George, tom Levine, nicholas Manassei, John scriven, Ian thomas, Matthew townsend and 

Colin Whittington. 

BROKeRAGe CItYLInK sCHOOLs PROGRAMMe 

Brokerage Citylink works with young people from the 

disadvantaged areas surrounding the City of London to 

help raise their aspirations by providing an insight into 

the various careers in the City and business etiquette 

generally. This is achieved by running workshops on 

life in the City, recruitment methods, CV preparation and 

interview techniques at the premises of City companies 

such as Allen & Overy. Each year thousands of young 

people leave inner city schools and colleges unprepared 

for the intricacies of the current job market, lacking 



information on employer expectations and without 

the necessary information to successfully compete in 

the job market. Many also lack the confidence and 

self-esteem to realise their potential. 

In 2007/08, Allen & Overy provided facilities for 18 

workshops with 545 students coming through our 

doors. We also provided two business traineeship 

places for A-level leavers. This year was our most 

successful year to date. A&O now holds the record 

for highest feedback scores from students attending 

workshops for this year. Students commented: 

“I enjoyed myself at the workshop as it taught me a 

lot about working life.” 

“I enjoyed my day in the City because this has shown me that there are a lot of opportunities around.” 

“My day in the City was enjoyable and it has made me more confident to pursue my career in accountancy.” 

With thanks to: Graham Adamson, Michelle Alexander, Laura Axtell, Anne Baldock, Lauren Baldwin, 

Brandon Barnes, Anthony Bavan, tim Beech, Imogen Buchan, sharon Burrell, neil Caddy, 

Alex Carington, Alys Carlton, Hayley Cohen, Richard Cohen, David Cummings, Katherine elkington, 

Annemarie elmer, Jacqui evans, nick evans, Caroline Fletcher, Aimee Forman, Angela Giles, 

David Gilinsky, Judith Gill, Pamela Hague-Wilton, Jason Haines, Angela Halstead, Kathryn Herbert, 

Jo Hickey, sharon Ives, nick Jackson, Yvette James, Christina Johnston, Lee Katipunan, James Keeping, 

siriana Kress, Laura Kwiatkowski, Laura Lawton, Kathy Lee, eleanor Ley, Mark Martin, Carol Mash, 

Kellie Matthews, Will McAdam, Kirsty McCarroll, Rosemary Miles, George Moore, Matt Moore, Mia Moore, 

Ann Moseley, Parminder nahl, nomita nair, sandra nsia-Boachie, Victoria Oates, Heather Ormsby, 

Joanna Page, Valerie Platitsa, Loretta Pugh, Aline shuttleworth, Karen smith, Jo terry, sharon tregaskes, 

Ruben Van schalkwyk, shanthi Vignasen, sylvie Watts, Mark Wesseldine, nikki Williams, Clare Wilson 

and Hannah Wrigley. 

Caroline Fletcher commented: “It was a real pleasure to speak to such an enthusiastic and engaged group of 

students. It was clear that Brokerage is performing a very valuable role in broadening these children's horizons.” 

CItY GAteWAY InsIGHt DAYs 

City Gateway is an organisation working with young people in the Tower Hamlets and Spitalfields area to engage 

them in education, employment and training, and to help them gain qualifications and skills which will make them 

more attractive to potential employers. 



As part of our commitment to City Gateway, we run a number of “Insight Days” during the year, which gives the 

students invaluable exposure to life in the City and the practical skills needed to gain employment. These are 

organised by Andrew Gilmour, Jacqui Grundy, sanjay nayee and Jon Palmer from our IT department and 

consist of a number of presentations given during the day, including sessions on CV writing and interview skills. 

Those who have given presentations include Lauren Baldwin, Hayley Cohen, Fiyin Fayeye, Yvette James, 

Valerie Jupp, edward Moser, Abdul Muith, nicola Munro, seetal Patel, Kirralee sanders, Katie spooner, 

Ben tillson, Dave tregaskes and shuhel Uddin. 

We have also hosted a number of “Insight Tours” this year, which are shorter visits focusing on specific areas of the 

office. nick Croker, manager of the Health and Wellbeing Centre in Bishops Square, organised a tour of the gym 

for students, with Vicky smith and tim Austen assisting on the day. Michael Hosannah and tony Lesforis led 

another tour which visited the Creative Services and AV Media teams. 

GeneRAL COMMUnItY WORK 

Maxitech 

Maxitech is a non-profit social enterprise company and has an ongoing programme to train and develop young 

people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds through work placement schemes. 

These programmes are conducted in conjunction with re-employment organisations and train young people on 

computer hardware using our redundant equipment. Maxitech's aim is to help young people overcome the pattern 

of social exclusion. 

Maxitech arranges for Allen & Overyʼs unwanted equipment to be tested and given to charities in and around Tower 

Hamlets. Currently we have donated around £20,000 worth of hardware including base units, monitors, printers and 

laptops that are either reused or disposed of in accordance with the Governments new WEEE Regulations. 

Alan terry and Gregory Morgan put in all the hard work to make sure that the equipment is ready for collection 

by Maxitech. 

This year Alan terry also secured a cheque from shpSolutions which purchased 400 redundant mobile phones for 

£784. This money has been donated to our Community Partner of the Year. 

streetshine 

StreetShine is a social enterprise that gives people 

who have experienced homelessness, suffered 

disadvantage in the job market and are in the 

process of rebuilding their lives the chance to earn 

a regular income by operating a shoeshine service 

within offices in the City of London. One Bishops 

Square provides this popular shoeshine service in 

the lobby once a week. 

Geraldine Artuso, who works in Bishops Square 

through StreetShine, says, “I would like to be seen 

working because it reflects better on everything, 

and I bring in cash that goes back into developing 

the business and helping more people.” 

Habitat for Humanity 

Habitat for Humanity is an international charity dedicated to building affordable housing for low-income families 

around the world. One of their current projects in the UK is based in Southwark. Over the past year, a number of 

teams from A&O have volunteered at the site. Our volunteers have been involved at many different stages, from 

helping to clear the site and dig trenches at the beginning of the project, to installing plasterboards and radiators 

inside the new properties. One lucky member of staff even got to drive the siteʼs dump-truck. 


Dominique Ashby commented that “it was brilliant fun 

– the site staff were both professional and very friendly 

trying to get us involved whenever they could in what 

they were doing. So we experienced digging, sawing 

and lots of carrying of planks. I learnt a lot about the 

community in Peckham and the importance of affordable 

housing in London, as well as the building-type skills we 

were taught.” 

Volunteers include: sally Andrews, Dominique Ashby, 

Claire Butterfill, Reuben Connolly, Justine Deighan, 

emma Fell, John Francis, sophie Hogg, 

Kseniya elfimova, Conan Lauterpacht, Vince neicho, 

Rosemary Oxley, Joanna Page, Patrizia Pasqualini, 

nirali Patel, Raj Patel, Reshma Patel, Ben Price, 

David shaw, Pete smith, Laura spearing, 

Luke streatfeild, Jan thirley, sara Vandore, 

Maria Vassalos, Anthony Ward and Heather Webster. 

Book Aid International “Bring a Book to Work” Week 


In October Allen & Overy participated in Book Aid International's (BAI) Bring a Book to Work Week. This event is 

an important fundraiser for Book Aid International and A&O staff were encouraged to donate books to BAIʼs books 

provision programme for sub-Saharan Africa. The books were donated to disadvantaged communities including 

refugees, girls and women, people with disabilities and in rural populations. 

Donation of law books 

The Library in A&Oʼs London office regularly donates old editions of books within its collections to a number of 

different organisations, including Battersea Legal Advice Centre, the International Book Facility, the Statute Law 

Revision Society and the English-speaking Polish Law Club based in Dabrowa, Poland. These donations are 

coordinated by Philippa smart. 

CLIent COLLABORAtIOn PROJeCts 

Working with our corporate clients on pro bono and community projects offers a new way of developing client 

relationships and working together to have an impact on the communities that surround the City. In addition to the 

two workshops described below, other collaborative projects with clients include the Debt Advice clinic at Toynbee 

Hall, which was set up jointly with ABN Amro, and the Spitalfields-based project being developed with Deutsche 

Bank, Hammerson plc and the East London Business Alliance. Further information on both of these projects can 

be found elsewhere in this report. 

Ge secondment 

At the start of this year we seconded Louise Zekaria, from our Private Client Department to GE Corporate to assist 

with the development of GEʼs European pro bono programme. 

Our seconded associate is working with the lawyer responsible for European pro bono at GE to implement an 

internal infrastructure to manage the day-to-day operation of pro bono projects for GE. Her responsibilities and 

outcomes include creating policies, a database of volunteers, working with “local champions” and committees for 

each of the GE businesses, engaging in consultation with GE staff to find out their interests, and liaising with local 

NGOs in communities where GE operates to understand local needs. Our secondee is also identifying and setting 

up suitable pro bono projects for GE lawyers, some of which A&O and GE lawyers will get involved in together. 

For example, A&O and GE are piloting a legal seminars programme for charities in Budapest. We will cover our 

areas of expertise (corporate structures, directors' duties, employment, tax, property etc) and will be able to reach 

large sections of the local community in this way. This work develops the expertise and presentation skills of lawyers 

from both Allen & Overy and GE in Budapest as well as having an impact on the local community. 



Joint Workshops 

UBs 

Volunteers from the London Leveraged Finance team 

recently teamed up with counterparts from client 

UBS to allow themselves to be quizzed by inner city 

school students. Two City Life workshops, held first 

at Bishops Square on 27 November and then at UBS 

offices in Finsbury Avenue on 5 December, were 

organised by the charity Brokerage Citylink. Although 

A&O staff regularly support the charity’s City Life 

programme through workshops, it is the first time that 

the firm has joined with a client to take part. 

Brokerage Citylink’s aim is to increase the number of 

residents of boroughs close to the City who earn their 

living in the financial and business services sector. 

With a particular focus on inner city school students 

who might not have had exposure to City professions, the workshops enable the youngsters to ask City workers in 

detail about their roles, what they actually do and how they got where they are today. 

Banking partner Mark Wesseldine said that UBS, which was recently named the Brokerage’s Employer of the Year, 

was thrilled at the opportunity to join forces with A&O in the pro bono initiative. He said: “Because we and UBS work 

together on a day-to-day basis, we were able to offer the workshops something unique in how we interact. Christian 

Rothhardt, executive director at UBS, and I kicked off the workshop by talking about our own roles. We explained 

how we work together on deals – and also how working in the city can be about working with people that you like.” 

He added that the joint workshops were an excellent way of developing the relationship between firm and client, while 

also contributing to the Brokerage Citylink cause. Being interviewed by the students was an 

eye-opening experience too. “Some of the students were, as you might expect, not necessarily knowing what they want 

to do, while others were very focused, with their careers mapped out, and asked very detailed questions,” said Mark. 

“Some said they hadn’t imagined that there could be a job for them in the City that could be interesting and exciting. 

We were delighted to get the ball rolling on these joint workshops and hope that we will do more in the future.” 

Volunteers were: Imogen Buchan, neil Caddy, Richard Cohen, Jacqui evans, Matt Moore, Mia Moore, 

Parminder nahl, Loretta Pugh, Aline shuttleworth and Mark Wesseldine. 

HsBC 

Banking department associate Will McAdam, during his secondment, supported a pro bono event involving 

members of the Export and Credit Agency team (attached to P&EF) and A&O volunteers. With the assistance of 

A&O's in-house pro-bono team, an afternoon workshop was organised with The Brokerage Citylink, which involved 

students from areas and backgrounds under-represented in the City interviewing HSBC and A&O professionals to 

understand what the Square Mile is, what careers it offers and what they would need to achieve to get a job in the City. 

More than 50 schools take part each year and the feedback from the students and the professionals involved was 

very positive. Student feedback included the following two quotes: 

“I learnt a lot about the ways some of the employees took different routes to become solicitors. It helped me to figure 

out what I want to do after university.” 

“I will say that everything went very well. We all had the opportunity to experience new things. Personally, it gave me 

the opportunity to know and to think more about what I am planning to do in the future.” 

Participants included: Anne Baldock, Lee Katipunan, Will McAdam, nomita nair and shanthi Vignasen. 


CRIsIs 


Allen & Overy supports Crisis throughout the year in a variety of ways. As well as providing it with pro bono legal 

advice (see below), we also support it through fundraising and volunteering schemes. 

Crisis Christmas Card Challenge 

A&O continued to support Crisis by donating its 2007 Christmas card budget to the charity instead of sending cards. 

This year's e-card featured the Crisis choir performing a festive song. The singers were either friends of Crisis or 

homeless people who would be spending the festive season at Crisis Open Christmas. One such ‘friendly singer’ 

was managing (now senior) partner, David Morley. 

David Morley commented: “A&O has supported the Crisis Christmas Card challenge for many years. This year I 

decided to go one step further and become part of the Crisis Choir, to show that it's not just about donating money, 

it's about actively supporting Crisis. As a firm we need to define our success by a sustainable, positive impact on 

our clients, our people and the local communities in which we operate. This is just one way we demonstrate our 

commitment to local charities.” 

Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: “Crisis hugely values Allen and Overy’s support of the Christmas Card 

Challenge. The money raised through this campaign plays a vital role in funding the services we provide over the 

Christmas period. Coming to the Open Christmas is often the first door many guests open before rebuilding their 

lives, taking up year-round opportunities within Crisis and securing their own independent futures. We particularly 

appreciate David Morley’s personal support and input into the Christmas Card Challenge which acts as a very real 

and compelling example to other business leaders to also get behind this campaign.” 

Challenge Days with Crisis 

The Crisis Open Christmas centres offer an alternative family for many homeless and vulnerably housed people 

who feel particularly lonely and isolated over the Christmas period. As well as companionship, the centres provide 

homeless visitors with shelter and a range of over 20 essential services, whether housing and benefits advice, full 

health checks or access to the Crisis learning zones for training and further education. 

Volunteers from A&O helped to organise clothing and books which had been donated to Crisis for use at the 

centres. Pamela Chambers commented that “we were faced with hundreds of bags of donated clothing and 

boxes containing thousands of books: one team sorted out new clothing into categories of boys, girls, ladies and 

gentlemen, and the other team chose a selection of books to create eight libraries, one library for each of their 

Christmas Centres.” Warehouse manager, Richard King, remarked on the expertise of our organisational abilities 

and exceptional industry, having completed both tasks on the day. 

Adam Johnson, of Crisis, said: “Your attitude and enthusiasm was yet another example of A&O’s fantastic approach 

to working with Crisis and it is, as ever, greatly appreciated. Your hard work will help ensure that the 2,000 guests 

who stay at our centres over Christmas have an experience that will have a major impact on their lives.” 

Volunteers who participated were: Gordana Banjac, Pamela Chambers, Amelia Cross, Peter Fallows, Jan Gruter, 

Anna Jewitt, stephen Jurica, Jennifer MacKinnon, Cherry nelson, nanet nieuwenhuis, Gail Palmer, 

natalie Perryman, Antony stokes, Bibi twahid and Katie White. 

AttLee YOUtH & COMMUnItY CentRe 

The Attlee Youth & Community Centre is located in Thrawl Street and is only five minutes from the Bishops Square 

office. The centre is an inner city oasis for children and young people from the age of five upwards. Their aim is to 

provide personal development opportunities through play, leisure and a wide range of recreational activities, both 

on- and off-site. Being able to socialise and play with people of different ages and different abilities is something 

much valued by the young people that use it. 



This year we have set up a project with a team from the Banking department (B3) lead by the B3 Pro Bono Board 

consisting of Jacqueline evans, tracey Jepson, Mark Wesseldine, Janie tremblay and Fiona Cumming. 

The project will encompass a wide variety of activities; in particular, members of B3 will be making regular visits 

to the centre to help supervise activities. This allows staff to accommodate more children at peak times as 

the adult-to-child ratio is increased. It also acts as a team-building opportunity for the different strands of the 

B3 department including partners, associates, paralegals, trainees and PAs. 

This year we have also donated £5,000 to the centre’s Karate project and Three Year Sports programme. The 

Karate project will accommodate a Tuesday karate class for ladies only; and the sports programme is being set up 

with the long-term goal of getting young people into sport on a regular basis with access to facilities around London 

that they would otherwise not be able to use. 

IsLe OF DOGs COMMUnItY FOUnDAtIOn 

The Isle of Dogs Community Foundation (IDCF) is an effective link between the voluntary, corporate and statutory 

sectors working within the Isle of Dogs and South Poplar area of East London. It helps to focus priorities 

on addressing local needs and assists local groups in seeking funds from the corporate sector. Despite the 

establishment and growth of the Canary Wharf business district, these areas are still among some of the most 

deprived wards in the UK. 

James McRobbie, an associate in Securitisation acts as company secretary for the IDCF: “IDCF is an important 

organisation which has a significant impact on the quality of life for people living within the Isle of Dogs and South Poplar 

area. It is a pleasure to work so closely with such a motivated Board of Trustees who represent other high-profile 

businesses based in the Canary Wharf Estate and other key voluntary sector organisations in the local community.” 

Allen & Overy supports the IDCF throughout the year on various projects: 

Island exchange Project 

In September 2007, we ran a clothing and toy appeal for baby goods to help with the Island Exchange Project. A&O 

staff were extremely generous with their donations which included 45 books, 20 toys, 20 pairs of shoes, 7 sterilisers, 

1 cot, 1 crib, 2 bouncy chairs and many bags of clothes and pre-school toys. The exchange project allows families to 

borrow baby goods and clothes which they would not otherwise be able to afford. Many of the items have also been 

distributed amongst local community groups such as the Barkantine Social Housing Partnership (which runs play 

groups) and the Isle of Dogs Children’s Centres. With thanks to Caroline Fletcher, Gemma Birt, Ali Dawson and 

Joanna Hughes for making generous donations. 

Over 50s tea Dance 

After the success of last year’s tea dance, we 

sponsored the event again this year. The event was 

held at George Green’s School in the Isle of Dogs. The 

hall was decked out with pink and gold balloons. Each 

round table was laden with cakes and sandwiches. 

Volunteers from A&O really got into the spirit of the 

afternoon and waltzed and danced with the elders. The 

line dancing proved most popular. The MC (and expert 

dance instructor) for the event was Ken Moran and he 

was accompanied by the DJ, Billy House. 

Staff brave enough to put their dancing shoes on were: 

Gergana Avramova, Michelle Blythe, Corinne Brett, 

Gwen Brookes, suzanne Dodd, James McRobbie, 

Rachel nicholson, Helen Rogers, Amy Rowe, emma shaw, terri Wipperman and Amanda Woods. 

James McRobbie commented, “The annual tea dance provides a rare opportunity for the elders of the Isle of Dogs 

community to come together. Everyone seemed to enjoy the occasion.” 



Gergana Avramova said, “The dancing was far more lively and fun than I expected. Under the lead of an experienced 

teacher we could try a variety of dances – from charleston, swing, waltz and rumba to US country, rock-n-roll and The 

Beatles. There were some really good dancers among the old ladies, who could show us a step or two. I will be certain 

to join the dancing next year.” 

CHALLenGe DAYs 

Wapping Blitz 

Wapping is an area within our local borough of Tower Hamlets which suffers from a marked contrast in fortunes – 

the upmarket converted warehouses, new apartment blocks and trendy gastro pubs nestle side-by-side with areas 

of social housing which have high levels of deprivation and very diverse communities. On 27 September, A&O 

volunteers offered their assistance working in two areas on projects that had an immediate and visible impact on the 

lives of local residents: Matilda Estate and the Wapping Playground. 

Matilda Estate houses 133 flats, mostly still council tenancies, and has been managed by a tenants’ co-operative 

since the 1970s. The tenant co-operative is responsible for managing the residential areas as well as the 

maintenance of the grounds around them. Many of these tenants are now elderly. Our volunteers spent the day 

helping to redecorate a playhouse for the children of the estate. 

The Wapping Playground gives the children access 

to a safe and engaging place to play and explore the 

world around them. Our volunteers helped to improve 

the playground by repainting the play equipment 

and tidying up the planted areas, ensuring that the 

playground continued to be a safe and welcoming 

space for the local residents and their children. 

Dave Couch from the Matilda Estate said: “The play 

flat and the fence which was painted look significantly 

better than they did. Obviously on an estate like this 

there is an endless number of small to medium sized 

jobs – being able to deal with a number of them in this 

way is extremely helpful and everyoneʼs efforts today 

are very much appreciated.” 

The volunteers who took part in these activities were: Holly Adams, Catherine Antcliffe, Katy Argrave, 

Victoria Broadbent, stuart Burnside, shankari Chandran, sarah Clift, Bernadine Coombs, Mark Davis, 

Andrew Denny, Portia edmiston, Dave Gifford, sarah Lankowski, Patricia Mailer, Laura Maitland, 

Joanna neale, susan Phillips, emma shaw, Gary sorhaindo and Lisa tolliss. 

Look Ahead Hostel 

On 21 November 2007, a team of future A&O trainees, 

currently studying for their LPC at the College of Law, 

swapped their textbooks for paintbrushes and gave up 

a day of revision to decorate several communal areas at 

the Look Ahead Hostel in Aldgate. Look Ahead provides 

housing and support to a range of vulnerable people with 

differing needs, including single homeless people, those 

with mental health needs and young people leaving the 

care system. The Aldgate Hostel is located in the London 

Borough of Tower Hamlets and provides accommodation 

and support services for 158 homeless people between 

the ages of 18 and 65. 



The students spent the day redecorating several communal 

areas and two small rooms used by the residents for meetings 

with key workers and other support staff. At the end of the 

day the students also created some canvasses to be hung on 

the walls and corridors in the hostel, a simple way of bringing 

more colour and interest into the building for the residents. The 

studentsʼ enthusiasm, energy and handiwork were admired by 

the residents and staff. 

Mark Phillippo, senior homelessness manager, Look Ahead, 

wrote: “I was greatly impressed with the enthusiasm, energy and 

good spirits in which you all threw yourselves into the task and 

this ensured the outstanding results you achieved. I would like to 

thank you all on behalf of the residents and staff here, for showing 

that you care and by helping to brighten those areas of the hostel 

in need of a facelift.” 

The students who took part in the challenge were: Paul Allen, 

Dominique Askew, sonya Barcant, Helen Beaumont, 

thomas Bullock, Jilly Combley, Rebecca Copcutt, 

Johan de Jong, Katie Hickmet, simon Hooks, Christian La-Roda thomas, emma Muskat, 

Morwenna Pestell, Isabel Regan, Helen smith, Rose spencer-Longhurst, serena stewart, Jared tausz, 

nick tye, David Varney, Rebecca Wallen, tom Wallis and David Wigg. 

On 17 March, the group paid a visit to our Bishops 

Square offices, whose sleek modern lines and crisp glass 

surfaces provided a strong contrast to the decorative 

architecture they had seen at Wiltonʼs. The photographs 

taken by the group at these two very different but close 

neighbours will be exhibited as part of their annual 

MAGIC Me 

Magic Me is the UKʼs leading provider of intergenerational 

arts projects, using creative activities to bring together 

young and older people who would otherwise not meet, 

for mutual benefit, learning and enjoyment. Since April 

2006, Magic Me has been running Our Generations, a 

programme of creative arts activities with young and older 

people's groups and individuals across Tower Hamlets. 

One of the projects within in the Our Generations 

programme is The Media Group. This brings together 

local people to work with a professional photographer 

to learn digital camera skills and to document Magic 

Me events and activities. The group has recently 

photographed Wiltonʼs Music Hall, one of the last 

remaining Victorian music halls in the world, and situated 

not far from our offices, in the East End of London. 



Summer Exhibition later in 2008. The group was also able to talk to Michael Hosannah, one of A&Oʼs in-house 

photographers, who shared his experiences with the group as he recorded the visit on his own camera. 

The A&O Foundation has also made a donation to support the Our Generations projects, in recognition of the 

positive impact they have on bringing together generations and communities within Tower Hamlets. 

WHIteCHAPeL MIssIOn 

Whitechapel Mission a small charity based in Tower Hamlets which has been providing care for homeless people for 

over 130 years. Staff volunteer at the charity on a monthly basis, assisting with meals, organising collections and 

sorting clothes. 

Those involved were: Melinda Boland, Dana Burstow, 

Philip Carstairs, Fiona Cassidy, Ash Chandhok, 

May Chiu, Russell Clifford, Fiona Coady, 

Viv Cotes, Lucy Coyle, Inewari Diete-spiff, 

Bas Dixon, Rebecca Windle, Zina elimelakh, 

Helen ennis, shelia Fahy, Alice Falconer, 

Zoe Gordon, sarah Harris, susan Hazledine, 

Katie Joyce, stephen Jurica, sarah Lankowski, 

Rebecca Law, Guy Livingstone, Matthew Longstaff, 

sophie Maggs, Julia Marriott, stefan Martin, 

Liz Mircica, shama naqushbandi, Julie Quinn, 

susie Rutherford, Derek sloan, Kim stirling, 

Alexia takis, Rebecca tandy, Dawn tate, 

Richard Whitaker, nicole Williams, nikki Williams, 

Jamie Wiseman-Clarke and Kevin Young. 

shelia Fahy is a trustee of the Mission. 

In July 2007, Amelia Bracken and Viv Cotes took part in 

the British 10K Run to raise funds for the Whitechapel Mission. 

tOWeR HAMLets sUMMeR UnIVeRsItY 

Tower Hamlets Summer University brings together young people from diverse backgrounds for an enriching 

educational experience. Aged 11-25, they have the chance to experiment and to sample new learning opportunities. 

The summer programme combines academic and vocational study, performing and visual arts, music, sports, 

information technology, new media, personal development and volunteer initiatives. THSU offers up to 100 courses 

each year, including careers in the City, first aid, photography, filmmaking, maths, tourism, cricket and psychology. 

During August, A&O offered a week's placement for 24 students as part of the summer programme. The programme 

was aimed at students to give them an insight into an international law firm and a chance to meet and talk to staff. 

Students gained experience of the firm as well as practical advice on CV writing, interview techniques and applying 

for vacation placements or training contracts through a series of talks and workshops. 

Those involved in the programme were: sarah Bell, sean Boyd, Amelia Bracken, Inewari Diete-spiff, nila Germain, 

Julia Gorham, Caroline Lindner, George Moore, Rachel nicholson, edward O'Flynn, Charlotte stetzel, 

Melissa sweeting, Ruben Van schalkwyk and Letitia Wilkinson. 

Students were asked: “What parts of the programme did you most enjoy?” The most common answer was: “The 

people”. Others responded as follows: 

"I was provided with a good insight into what happens at A&O. The speakers were very beneficial and the activities 

enhanced my knowledge of how to progress further in law". Lee Kuhan 

“It was great to talk to the trainee solicitors and the staff; I would never have had the chance to do this otherwise. 

There is only so much research you could on the internet. I am very thankful”. Maria Kovacova 



“I think students that want to pursue a career in law should apply for this course because it gives a good insight into 

a career in law and talks through the different careers within the firm.” Sadia Khanom 

The programme is co-ordinated and managed through emma shaw and sue Wisbey. 

eLBA LOnDOn LeGACY 2020 

East London Business Alliance developed a bespoke programme, London Legacy 2020, which encourages member 

companies to be part of securing a legacy from the 2012 Olympic Games. Allen & Overy has had a long-standing 

relationship with ELBA, and we believe that the Legacy 2020 Youth Board framework will enhance our education 

programme, giving us a springboard from which to launch new initiatives and encourage all members of staff to 

become involved. 

We recognise that, as well as providing support to the local community, staff involved in these projects also benefit 

from them, improving their skills and gaining a valuable and justified sense of satisfaction and achievement. We 

hope to work with Legacy 2020 to develop collaborative initiatives that will have a lasting impact on the community 

and our staff. 

tAPeBALL CRICKet CHALLenGe 

For five weeks during the Summer A&Oʼs finest cricket 

players took part in a community outreach programme 

working with the London Community Cricket Association 

to coach and play cricket with young people from schools 

and estates in East London. The sessions culminated 

in a tournament at the end of July where A&O came 

runners-up. 

Omar Khan, A&O captain, says: “Allen & Overy is proud 

to be involved in the ELBA Tapeball Cricket Programme. 

It provides an opportunity for our keen sportsmen at 

A&O to share their knowledge and time with young people in their local community, sharing a common interest and 

passion for cricket.” 

Staff who took part were: Graeme Ferguson, Omar Khan, Jonathan Kirsop, tom Levine, Alistair Metcalfe, 

Jonathan Millard, stephen Richards, Oliver Rule, Faraaz samadi, Matthew shaw and Rajindher singh. 

WORK PLACeMents 

the Brokerage City Link 

The Brokerage runs a programme which aims to empower disadvantaged young people to find employment by 

providing invaluable work experience at businesses in the City of London. 

This was the sixth year that A&O have participated in this scheme, and we took on two placement students, 

Olubukola Mary Alade and Jeany Bocha Izimizy, who were of the same high calibre as previous candidates, and 

took the firm with ease and fitted in with every department in which they spent time. 

The scheme is managed by Dave tregaskes, who interviewed the candidates and then supervised their time with 

Business Services during their 12-week placement, which also included attending the Induction days and IT training 

sessions for all new joiners, as well as other relevant training courses during their time with their firm. As in previous 

years, the trainees were supported by a team of buddies, tony Old (CFU), John Fleming and John Kiggins 

(Print Room), Lee sanders (Despatch) and Vince neicho (Litigation Paralegal) who provide advice and guidance 

to the trainees when necessary. Vince neicho joined the buddies’ team last year due to the increasing interest 

amongst the trainees of progressing within the Law. 


Business Action on Homelessness (BAOH) 


Business Action on Homelessness (BAOH) is a placement programme that encourages City firms to help mitigate the 

long-term effects of homelessness by offering structured work experience placements to formerly homeless people. 

A&O offers the candidates a minimum of two weeksʼ work experience in one or more of the departments within 

Business Services, with overall supervision and support from Claire Gerritsen (Document Logistics Manager) 

and Dave tregaskes (Central Records Supervisor). The candidatesʼ existing skills, capabilities and expectations 

are taken into account when selecting the most appropriate department for the placement. The work experience 

provides an opportunity for trainees to demonstrate their skills and talents and to rebuild confidence in a work setting. 

It is hoped that the programme is both stimulating and rewarding for the candidates and is a major step on the road 

to permanent employment. 

For 2007, A&O took on two work experience candidates from BAOH, all of whom were interviewed and managed 

during their time at the firm by Dave tregaskes. A buddy system was also introduced in order to obtain continuity 

throughout the year. Once the buddies were chosen, a presentation was arranged for them explaining what is 

expected and to discuss any feedback they may have had on the programme for the coming year. The following 

were buddies for last year: tony Old (CFU), John Fleming and John Kiggins (Print Room) and Lee sanders 

(Despatch), who all helped to encourage and help the work experience candidates throughout their time at A&O. 

City Gateway 

City Gateway is an organisation working with young people in the Tower Hamlets and Spitalfields area to engage 

them in education, employment and training, and to help them gain qualifications and skills which will make them 

more attractive to potential employers. 

As well as the Insight visits, described elsewhere in this report, A&O have been offering six week work placements to 

City Gateway candidates for a number of years now, with the scheme co-ordinated by Andrew Gilmour, Clare Wilson, 

tare Daobry, Charles Phillip, Jon Palmer and sanjay nayee in the IT department. 

On arrival at A&O for their work placements, the City Gateway trainees are given a tour of the building, and then also 

undertake all relevant training, including on our IT systems. 

The trainees are also supported by a Buddy scheme during their time here, including Bradley Allen, nicola Munro 

and Grant Davis. 

The feedback from City Gateway has been very positive, with the trainees saying that the buddies have created a 

supportive environment for them to develop their skills and gain valuable work experience. Of the eight trainees 

we have had on placements, three were then taken on as paid contractors within the IT department, one of whom, 

shuhel Uddin¸ is still working with us at the moment. 

COMMUnItY PARtneR OF tHe YeAR 

Our Community Partner of the Year for the past 12 months has been the Ocean Childrenʼs Centre, based on the 

Ocean Estate, an area within the borough of Tower Hamlets. The organisation was nominated by Bethan Chatters, 

who sits on the management committee of the centre. The Ocean Childrenʼs Centre combines a nursery school, 

family support and health services, and the day-care and access to training opportunities needed by local people to 

help them improve their employability. The centre aims to provide the children with the best possible environment for 

their early years development and to provide the local community with a place to access the services they need that 

is welcoming and easy to reach. 

During the past year we have supported the centre in a number of ways, with many staff taking the opportunity to get 

involved in the different projects. We have given our time, our resources and also raised funds or given the centre 

and its users other gifts. In total, our funds raised, gifts-in-kind and donations from the A&O Foundation add up 

to £25,000. 



Here are just a few highlights of how we have been involved over the past year: 

Creating a butterfly garden 

On a sunny autumn day, seven enthusiastic volunteers 

helped to transform a part of the centre's playground into 

a butterfly garden. Whether green-fingered or gardening 

novices, everyone who took part got stuck in, clearing 

away old shrubbery before preparing the ground ready for 

the new plants. The planting scheme had been created 

by a local garden designer, who led the way and taught 

the volunteers everything they needed to know about 

digging, planting and watering. The plants chosen for 

the garden will provide bright and interesting flowers that 

will attract not just butterflies but other forms of wildlife 

into the playground, which will provide the early years 

teachers with a fantastic resource to teach the children 

about the natural world. In an area where many of the 

children do not have access to outdoor space at home, 

creating a safe but stimulating playground for the children 

to use is one of the centreʼs priorities. 

Gardeners for the day were: Gergana Avramova, 

Po-siann Goh, Caroline Jones, sandeep Keshani, 

Kelly Manning, Rachel nicholson and Jocelyn Virtue. 

Mosaic Project 

We have been working on an exciting project in conjunction with the children and staff at the centre, and also a 

professional artist from Bow Arts Trust. Inspired by a trip to the London Aquarium and storytelling sessions to 

explore the themes of the ocean and underwater life, the children worked with the mosaic artist to use their thoughts 

and creativity to create a mosaic that will be a vibrant and lasting piece of artwork for the centre users and local 

community to enjoy. 



A&O volunteers have taken part at all of the key stages of this project, including accompanying the children on their 

visit to the aquarium, helping them when creating their mosaic animals and plants and then working alongside the 

artist to help install the finished design on the walls of the playground. 

Staff who have taken part in this project include: 

eesha Arora, Michelle Blythe, sally Buckland, Louise Campion, Lucinda Capel, sarah Chatburn, Martina Clay, 

Justine Deighan, erin Duffy, sue Hare, sarah Harris, Katie Hoare, Zeyneb Ibrahim, Keshinda Johnson-Lewis, 

Mohamed-Ali Kada, nafeesa Khan, Audrey Larmond, sandra Louis, Lisa Meyer, Khrista nanayakkara, 

Rachel nicholson, nanet nieuwenhuis, Laura Paul, Rachel Ramsey, susie Rutherford, Rhiannon saunders, 

Holly sheffield, Katie spooner, Zubair tamuri, sam turnbull, Bibi twahid, shanthi Vigasen, Jocelyn Virtue, 

Karen Wild, Beth Williams and Louise Williams. 

Zubair tamuri commented, “It was a great event, and the child I helped, Mehjabin, was awesome (by far the most 

intelligent) and the teacher was very friendly too. All in all a very enjoyable and rewarding day.” 

Christmas Book Appeal 

As the adult population on the Ocean Estate suffers from low levels of literacy and educational attainment, the centre 

tries to encourage the children to develop a love of reading and learning from an early age. At Christmas, an appeal 

for books to give to the children was launched in both of the London offices. Christmas trees were decorated with 

gift tags, one for each child who attends the day-care and nursery school, with a suggestion of a suitable book for 

that child. Many of the children do not have suitable books at home, and so by giving each child a book of their own, 

our gifts will have a positive impact on them, from the very youngest just starting to develop their vocabulary, to those 

taking their first steps in learning to read for themselves. 

Anne McInerney, shirley Fisher, Christine simpson, Barbara Culleton, Pauline Klim and Linda Heath very 

kindly helped to wrap many of the books. In total, over 140 books were donated by members of staff, valued at 

approximately £900. 

Winter Fair 

On Monday 19 November, the Pro Bono and Community 

Affairs team invited staff to a Winter Fair held in the 

Auditorium at Bishops Square to raise funds for 

Ocean Children's Centre. Staff, local businesses and 

stallholders from Spitalfields Market all plied their trade, 

offering a wealth of opportunities for an early start to 

seasonal gift shopping. Some of our pro bono clients, 

including Crisis, Whitechapel Mission and We Are What 

We Do, were also invited to have stalls, with WAWWDʼs 

“Iʼm not a plastic bag” bags being a big draw for the 

crowds. The A&O Choir performed a medley of festive 

favourites to entertain the lunchtime shoppers, and 

mulled wine and mince pies were also served. Raffle 

tickets had been sold in both offices during the weeks 

leading up to the fair, and the prizes were drawn on the 

day by Jacqueline Priestly, head of centre at Ocean 

Children's Centre. Ticket sales from the raffle gave a 

fantastic boost to the money raised by the event, which 

came to a total of £6,040. 

The Pro Bono team could not have put on this fantastic 

event without the support and help of a large number 

of people, and would like to extend their thanks again 

to everyone involved. These included: elena Argent, 

Katy Argrave, Gergana Avramova, Derek Baird, 



nadine Barron, David Benton, Victoria Broadbent, Penny Carolan, Angela Carpenter, sarah Churchill, 

Justine Deighan, Francois De La Rhonde, Anthony Drake-Brockman, Jacqueline evans, sheila Fahy, 

emma Fell, Kara Fisher and the A&O Choir, Gill Francis, the Front of House team, Vicky Garland, John Goodall, 

Rod Green, seonaid Grimstone, silvia Gurnari, Debbie Harris, emma Harris, Deborah Harrison, Rob Hill, 

Michael Hosannah, Anne Hubbard, emma Johnson, Cathy Jones, Melanie Jones, Debbie Kemp, Paul King, 

nicolette Lang-Andersen, Kay Lovick, Andy Madden and her team, Jessica Martin, Victoria Marsh, 

Kellie Matthews, Clare Maurice, Bradley Maxwell, Leigh Missig, Maria Montague, Claire Mousley, Lorna Muir, 

ninth Floor support, Andrew O'Keefe, Fiona O'sullivan, Alan Paul, Cheri Peck, sam Popplewell, Martyn Potts, 

everyone in the Print Room and the Loading Bay, stephen Richards, Amy Rowe, Akash sachdeva, Lisa salvi, 

Lee sanders, Brian sher, Luis Fernando simoes De souza, James sinclair, tracy smith, Vikki smith, 

Denis stefanopulos, Andrew sulston, Ruben Van schalkwyk, Mona Vaswani, Jess Vickery, Miles Walton, 

Debbie Ward, tom Waterfall, Richard Whitaker, Mark Wippell, terri Wipperman, Lai Lai Wong, Karen Young 

and nikola Zahariev. 

A&O FOUnDAtIOn 

Partners at the London office donate part of their profits to the A&O Foundation, which distributes this money 

to deserving causes. Guidelines, applied by the Charities Committee, determine the focus of the Foundationʼs 

efforts. For instance, causes are favoured which are connected to the law or help neighbouring boroughs, or that 

are supported strongly through personal involvement by staff in the activities of the charity. If you are significantly 

involved in the activities of a particular charity, the committee encourages you to make a request to the Foundation 

on behalf of your charity. For more information, contact Helen Rogers (Pro Bono & Community Affairs Officer). 

Robert Crane, the firmʼs Treasurer, manages the accounts for the Foundation and for all of the London office's 

charitable giving. 

Give As You earn 

Payroll Giving is a valuable, regular source of income for charities, helping them to budget and plan ahead more 

effectively. A&O staff can support any charity of their choice with a monthly donation direct from their pay. It is also 

a tax-efficient way of donating – for example a donation of £5 per month costs the basic rate taxpayer £3.90 with the 

taxman paying the rest. 

A&O operates a Give As You Earn scheme, and in 2007/8 staff donated £8,2560.05 through the scheme. 

Members of staff also participated in donating their final hourʼs pay of 2007 to charity. The total contributions were 

£7,099.22, which was divided up amongst five charities, based on staff preferences: Whitechapel Mission, We Are 

What We Do, Age Concern, Room 2 Read and London Legal Support Trust. 

PRO BOnO WORK 

ADVIsORY WORK 

In 2007/2008, the London office provided pro bono legal advice to many individuals, charities and community groups 

who could not afford to pay for legal support. This work makes a huge difference to those who we assist, many of 

whom would not have access to justice otherwise. 

As well as the various pro bono schemes detailed elsewhere in this report, the following people have given legal 

advice on a wide range of matters for many different individuals and groups over the past year: sarah Ahmed, 

Anne Baldock, Michelle Banfield, simon Baum, Ian Bevan, Robert Bulling, Helen Buzzacott, Lauren Cannon, 

Lydia Challen, Jennifer Chambers, emma Clark, Adam Cleal, Annabelle Croker, Jonathan Crompton, 

tobias Crump, Chloe Dexter, sophie Davenport, Vicky Downes, sarah earl, tanya etheridge, Richard evans, 

Rainer evers, Hayley Flat, Richard Flint, David Gilinsky, Annemarie Grant, stefan Green, earl Griffith, 

Jonathan Hibberts, Matt Huggett, nick Jackson, Ian Johnston, Lydia Kinley, Hugh Lauritsen, Mark Levy, 



Michael Ling, Mark Mansell, Brin Mazen, Marcus McCluggage, Carys McMillan, George Moore, sidney Myers, 

Fabienne Parker, nigel Parker, Colin Pearson, Lucinda Pfaff, Jemma Prince, Rebecca Quayle, emily Roach, 

Kathryn Robinson, Kiralee saunders, sophie schultz, John scriven, emma slessenger, Catriona smith, 

Annette so, sandy tapnack, Joel tashjian, emma teale, Harriett territt, sophie thomashausen, 

Lisa thorncroft, emma trinick, sara Vandore, emma-Jane Weider, Gemma Westaby, David Williams, 

Jessica Williams, trevor Withane, nikola Zahriev and Louise Zekaria. 

the Council on social Action 

The Council on Social Action is a government initiative which brings together people from the voluntary sector, 

business and government to develop projects that will transform communities at a local and national level. The 

council meets every six weeks and every second meeting is chaired by Prime Minister Gordon Brown. 

Pro Bono & Community Affairs Senior Manager shankari Chandran was appointed to sit on the council and we 

are currently involved with the council in a number of ways. We are helping the council with a project which involves 

setting up a new institution to help the voluntary sector access capital in innovative ways. The institution, called 

Social Finance, will advise on issues such as accessing “orphan” funds – small amounts left in client dormant 

bank accounts which are being brought together and intended to be used by the voluntary sector. Alan ewins 

(Regulatory Funds and Financial Products) and sergio Ung (Corporate) are running this project. 

Akash sachdeva, Deirdre Moynihan, Jonathan Kirsop, naomi Leach, Jennifer Lovell and Pam taak have 

been advising on trademark protection, data protection regulation and policy for the councilʼs “Chain Reaction” 

website which aims to create a global forum for social change. simon Catterall (Real Estate) has also provided 

significant advice on another of the council's campaigns aimed at bringing local communities together. 

switchback 

Switchback is a small, local organisation with a 

sound business plan that lawyers in the London 

office have been supporting this year. Switchback 

works intensively with small numbers of young adult 

offenders between the ages of 18 and 24 to tackle the 

ingrained behaviour and practical obstacles that lead 

to re-offending. The Switchback programme uses 

catering as a vehicle for developing new skills, and 

participants undertake a five-level programme that 

starts in the prison kitchen, progresses to catering 

training in the Crisis Skylight Café on Commercial 

Street and on to sustainable long-term employment. 

Participants learn in a real-life setting with one-to-one 

support that leaves them better equipped to retain 

paid employment in the long term. 

Crime committed by ex-prisoners costs the UK economy at least £11 billion each year and is perpetuating the 

current prison-overcrowding crisis. Switchback's unique programme is designed to reduce re-conviction rates, 

currently at 73%, and impact on the wider community by addressing other social exclusion factors (unemployment, 

homelessness) at a fraction of the present financial cost to society. 

Lucinda Pfaff helped Switchback become a registered charity and is providing long-term support as the charity grows. 

toby Peregrine-Jones is acting as a pro bono advisor and an internal 'champion' for Switchback within A&O to 

provide a legal perspective on any basic legal issues they may face. 

Chris Dighton and the Print Room team also helped Switchback to produce and print a number of information 

leaflets for circulation to potential funders and trustees without which they would have struggled to launch properly 

and professionally. 



Habitat for Humanity 

Habitat for Humanity (HfH) is an international charity 

that works to alleviate poverty housing worldwide. 

A&O have been involved with HfH for many years, 

with staff in several of our offices volunteering on 

their building sites, and with pro bono legal advice on 

a number of matters. 

The UK branch of the charity has been working on 

a site in Peckham, south London, to build 12 flats, 

which it then intended to sell to a housing association 

to ensure that the new homes remain in the social 

sector and are available over the long term to people 

in severe housing need. As detailed elsewhere in 

this report, volunteers from the London office have 

been volunteering on this project over the past year, 

helping on a variety of elements within the build. 

We were approached by HfH to advise it on its negotiations with a possible partner housing association, as well as to 

draft the commercial contract. We were then also asked to provide guidance on whether the HfH concept of “sweat 

equity”, whereby the future occupants of the flats contribute by assisting with the building work, would satisfy the 

Charity Commission that the sale of the properties to the housing association is within HfHʼs charitable purposes and 

would not affect its status as a registered charity. 

Those who worked on this matter include: Robert Bulling, Helen Buzzacott, nick Jackson, Lucinda Pfaff, 

David Williams and Louise Zekaria. 

the spitz 

Spitalfields Arts Project Ltd, trading as The Spitz, was a music venue in Spitalfields, where it had been based for 

11 years, which offered fantastic opportunities and performance space to both known and unknown musicians as 

well as a gallery space and a bistro. We were asked if we could advise The Spitz on the possible termination of its 

lease, as well as a range of other matters. 

The following lawyers were part of the team who were involved with The Spitz over the past year: Jonathan Crompton, 

Jonathan Hibberts, Mark Levy, Mark Mansell and sophie thomashausen. 

Brain Dunlop, Head of Finance, also provided advice to The Spitz on their financial position. 

ss Robin 

SS Robin is the only complete example in the world of a coastal cargo steamer, which was built in the shipyards of 

East London and launched in the 1890. She is included in the UK Core Collection of the National Register of Historic 

Vessels and is one of only three “Grade 1” ships in London, along with Cutty Sark and HMS Belfast. 

The SS Robin Trust was founded in 2002 and took ownership of the vessel, based in West India Dock near Londonʼs 

Canary Wharf business district. Its aim was to repair and restore the steamer, and to convert her cargo hold into a 

centre for creative learning, incorporating an innovative heritage learning centre and education resource for schools. 

A&O London has offered a variety of support to the SS Robin Trust including assistance from Victoria tetis on 

achieving its lease agreement with British Waterways last year. This security of tenure in SS Robin's current location 

has been invaluable in subsequent negotiations with Crossrail, as SS Robin needed to be moved to allow work on 

the major transportation project for London took place in the area. Through A&O’s introduction to LawWorks and 

the Bar Pro Bono Unit, the SS Robin Trust was able to get the assistance it needed in its negotiations, which has 

enabled it to secure the future of this historic vessel. 



“I would like to express the Trust’s thanks once again to Allen & Overy for the generous support in achieving the 

lease agreement … The consequent security of tenure contributed significant and influential leverage in the 

negotiating process, and we are highly indebted to A&O in helping us negotiate and reach this key milestone.” 

David Kampfner, Project Director and Co-Founder, SS Robin. 

Community Food enterprise 

A&O has been involved with Community Food Enterprise (CFE) through Maureen O’neill, whose work with 

CFE was profiled in the Pro Bono and Community Affairs Report 2006/2007. CFE was one of six organisations 

short-listed in a high profile competition to find 2007’s most successful social entrepreneurs, sponsored by The 

Independent newspaper. 

BAtteRseA LeGAL ADVICe CentRe 

The London office’s relationship with Battersea Legal Advice Centre and its parent law centre, the South West 

London Law Centres (SWLLC), has developed over many years from simple beginnings, with A&O lawyers providing 

pro bono legal advice at Battersea's evening advice surgery, to become a true partnership encompassing a wide 

range of activities. 

For the past 17 years, the London office lawyers have attended Battersea each Tuesday evening to provide pro bono 

legal advice to 700-800 local people each year. In addition the London office has advised the Law Centre itself on a 

number of matters ranging from employment issues to defamation and often assists in preparation of documents for 

the centre's office manual. 

Michael Ashe, CEO of the SWLLC, describes the extent and impact of the relationship: “A&O arenʼt simply a donor, 

theyʼre a partner. Once theyʼre engaged with a community organisation, theyʼre committed. Although they have 

played a major part in keeping us open this year, the 26,000 clients who we helped with their support are not the limit 

of their ambition. A&O people give us their time, their know-how and their financial support and we make the most of 

every last drop. Working together, we achieve things that neither of us could accomplish alone.” 

trainee secondments 

Since 2004, four Allen & Overy trainees are seconded to Battersea every year, providing a valuable resource to the 

qualified solicitors who work there, and advising over 300 clients themselves. 

natalie Donald, Roz Allsopp, tim Regis, Kamran Rabbani and eesha Arora were seconded to the Battersea 

Law Centre in the 2007/2008 financial year. 

natalie Donald notes: “Whilst I was at Battersea Law Centre I gained a real insight into how much help and advice 

the lawyers at Battersea provide for their clients. I also realised just how much the staff at Battersea value the extra 

assistance that an A&O trainee brings. Whether assisting with answering the phone, clerking clients, undertaking 

research or representing a client at a court hearing, everything that you do is appreciated. An extra pair of hands at 

Battersea goes a long way and means that the Law Centre and its lawyers are able to help a few extra people who 

really need their help.” 

“Battersea takes on clients from all walks of life, some with addictions and learning difficulties, others who speak little 

or no English. Working with these clients, I learned the importance of being patient and versatile. Helping the clients 

to understand their situation and how you can assist them, whilst simultaneously liaising with the Courts and the local 

authorities, is a quite a skill which the lawyers at Battersea have down to a fine art. As a trainee on secondment, you 

will certainly learn a lot from the lawyers at Battersea.” 

“Working at Battersea also really makes you appreciate the support networks and resources which are in place at A&O. 

It makes you realise that these are a real luxury. Having an a A&O secondee working at Battersea means that their 

lawyers are able to benefit from resources and support networks which they would otherwise not have access to.” 



evening surgery 

emma shaw manages the Battersea evening surgery rota and organises in-house training seminars for volunteers 

in areas of law that they may encounter. This is complemented by the Law Works training programme which all 

volunteers are encouraged to attend. 

The following people have participated at the Battersea evening surgery: sejal Aghera, nilon Akther, Hannah Ambrose, 

Chris Angus, Patrick Arnold, Laura Baird, Kathryn Ballintine, Peter Banks, Keily Beirne, Penny Blair, 

Caroline Bordas, David Bridge, Charles Buckworth, David Campbell, Alex Carrington, Ash Chandhok, 

Michelle Chowdhury, James Cockburn, Dan Cocker, Louise Coggins, Richard Cohen, spencer Collins, 

tim Conduit, Andy Cork, Viv Cotes, Helen Cowley, stephanie Dee, Bas Dixon, natasha Doulia, suanne Duhig, 

emily Dupee, Portia edmiston, Claire edmunton, stina ekblad, Katerina engelbrecht, Rainer evers, 

thomas evans, Alice Falconer, Daniel Fisher, Barbara Forman, Alastair Foy, James Freeman, Laura Gatward, 

nesa Ghadiri-Zare, Davina Given, James Godfrey, narda Graham, seonaid Grimstone, James Haggie, 

Miriam Hashim, Alexis Hayworth, Jane Higgins, Alistair Hill, Matthew Hill, natalie Hill, Rishi Hindocha, 

Matthew Hodgson, Andrew Howard, Kate Jackson, Hetti Jackson-stops, Jay Jamnadas, Alison Jensen, 

Keshinda Johnson-Lewis, Cecelia Joyce, Katie Joyce, sarah Juniper, sophia Khan, Jonty Knight, 

Valentina Kovaluk, Kunal Kumbhat, Conan Lauterpacht, Jonathan Le Rossignol, Xia Li, Luke Lightfoot, 

erynne Lim, Jenny Ljunghammar, suzy Lloyd, James Loat, Matthew Longstaff, Genevieve Loveland, 

Laura MacFarlane, David Mackie, Jennifer Manning, Alasdair McKenzie, eliza Meehan, Leigh Missig, 

Claire Mousley, ed Murray, eibhlin Murray, Christina nayman-Mills, Richard norridge, James norris, 

Dominic O'Brien, Maureen O'neill, Patrizia Pasqualini, Olivia Pim, Loretta Pugh, tim Regis, stephen Richards, 

Alistair Robertson, tobi Rufus, Kate Rushworth, Paul sampson, Jane samuelson, nick saner, 

Hayk sarkissian, Anna saville, James sealey, serena seddon, Prashanthy shankar, Victoria sharpe, 

Reena sheth, nicola simson, James sinclair, Anna southworth, Katie spooner, sebastian steinfeld, 

tim stewart, Luke streatfeild, Rafiel sunmonu, Melissa sweeting, Pam taak, Mark thompson, Charles toland, 

James turnbull, ekaterina Venidiktova, Rachael Visick, Xue Wang, Lauren Warner, Rachel Watson, 

Catherine Weller, Gemma Westaby, Luke Whibley, Richard Whitaker, Anna Whitney, nicole Williams, 

Lauren Willis, Paula Wilson, sarah Wilson, Rebecca Windle, Lai Lai Wong, Diane Wood, Jaclyn Yeap, 

sophie Zadmehr and shanshan Zhang. 

PA rota 

Since September 2006, A&O has been providing secretarial support to SWLLCʼs branches in Croydon and Colliers 

Wood, with a weekly rota managed by Sue Wisbey. This frees up the lawyers from administrative tasks, and the 

model is now being replicated by other firms. In addition, A&O provide further administrative support through an 

archiving service, storing hundreds of boxes of client files for Battersea in the firmʼs own storage facility. 

Volunteers during the course of the year are: Helen Arnold, tricia Beckford, natalie Brough, Helen ennis, 

Yvette Gustave, Angela Halstead, Melissa James, soneua Jenoure, Audrey Larmond, Alison Lawrence, 

nicola Martin, Khrista nanayakkara and nicola spence. 

LAW CentRes’ FeDeRAtIOn 

As well as providing SWLLC itself with advice on a wide range of matters, A&O has extended this advice and 

casework to help national organisations such as the Law Centresʼ Federation (LCF) and Advice UK as well as their 

member advice organisations and law centres. 

The following people have provided advice through this scheme to the LCF and its member organisations, 

Advice UK and to SWLLC itself: Ian Bevan, Helen Buzzacott, Lydia Chesshyre, tobias Crump, Haylie Flatt, 

sarah Henchoz, Alistair Hill, Mark Mansell, Brin Mazen, Mark simms, David Williams and Jessica Williams. 

In addition, sue smith and Annmarie elmer advised the LCF on the best use of space and desk layouts when they 

moved to new offices this year. 


LOnDOn LeGAL sUPPORt tRUst 


The London Legal Support Trust was launched in April 2004, with the support of the London office, to help raise 

funds for London's voluntary legal agencies such as the Law Centre and Citizens Advice Bureaux (including 

Battersea Legal Advice Centre). Bob Nightingale MBE is the CEO of the LLST. 

In 2005, Allen & Overy pioneered a scheme under which it donates to the LLST an amount equivalent to the interest 

earned on consolidated client accounts. Over the last two years, Allen & Overy has donated £172,000 in this way 

and continues working to get other law firms to sign up to the scheme, which could potentially raise hundreds of 

thousands of pounds per year for law centres. 

Contributions from Allen & Overy aside, the LLSTʼs 

largest source of funds is its annual walkathon. 

Representatives from across the legal community walk 

to raise funds for the LLST and various law centres. 

The inaugural walkathon saw 300 participants raise 

£35,000 for law centres. By 2007, this had increased 

to 1,800 walkers – including the entire judiciary – who 

raised £210,000. 

Bob Nightingale says, “Law firms are our only source 

of finance, so it's really important for firms like A&O to 

continue to support us in our much-needed work.” 

As a result, the LLST has been able to make grants 

to several law centres facing closure, as well as grants to allow advice agencies to continue their work and develop 

new services. The LLST funded Tower Hamlets Law Centre for three years to enable the centre to develop its 

services and integrate free legal advice services across the whole of East London. 

Enormous support has been provided by Creative services who have produced the majority of LLSTʼs materials 

including newsletters, banners and walkathon papers. 

Robert Crane and trevor Woodley from Finance created a detailed presentation for LLST to use whilst meeting 

senior partners of other law firms to encourage them to join the client account scheme. Jane Harold processed all 

of LLSTʼs Gift Aid forms. Mike Furr developed and updated the LLSTʼs website. emma shaw is the membership 

secretary and, together with sue Wisbey, sits on the walk committee. terri Wipperman provides admin support. 

ACCess tO JUstICe FOUnDAtIOn 

On an even wider scale, Allen & Overy is helping to establish a national foundation, using the LLST model that it 

developed with Bob Nightingale. This national foundation will assist law centres across the UK improve funding 

and sustainability. 

Ian elder, a former partner, has been part of the working committee comprised of senior members of the bar, the 

Attorney Generalʼs pro bono ambassador, partners from other law firms and senior members of not-for-profit legal 

agencies who have been working to drive forward this important pro bono and social policy project. 

The aim is to establish a new charity which will be able to receive funds from a variety of sources and then distribute 

these to legal advice agencies around the country, who are in desperate need of funding. Some of the potential 

sources of funds include: 

n Pro bono costs awards made possible by the Legal Services Act; 

n Interest on client account schemes; 

n Donations and other funds raised from law firms and other organisations. 

Liz Brownsell has been assisting Ian Elder with the legal documentation for the establishment of this new charity. 



ROYAL COURts OF JUstICe ADVICe BUReAU 

The Royal Courts of Justice Advice Bureau provides help and advice 

to those who find themselves in the unfortunate and often frightening 

position of being before the courts without legal presentation. 

Solicitors from the London office and over 60 other City firms 

volunteer their time acting as honorary legal advisors (HLAs). 

The HLAs provide preliminary legal assistance, as well as advice 

on court procedures. 

The London office also provides substantial services in-kind helping 

them with designing and printing their annual report and advice 

leaflets and fundraising activities. Special thanks to simon shaw 

for pictorial and design work for the annual report. 

The scheme is managed by emma shaw and Allayne Griffiths 

prepares the rota. This year the following advisors attended the 

Bureau as volunteers: Paul Adams, sarah Ahmad, Joanne Bews, 

David Bridge, Arnondo Chakrabarti, Helen Cowley, 

Andrew Denny, Inewari Diete-spiff, emily Dupee, 

Kseniya elfimova, Rainer evers, Richard Farnhill, 

Richard Flint, Alastair Foy, James Freeman, sarah Garvey, 

sara George, Davina Given, Abbie Grace, tom Herbert, 

Jonathan Hitchin, tim Johnson, sarah Juniper, Christabel Kensit, Ali Key, Carl Jenkins, 

Jenny Ljunghammar, Mahmood Lone, eleanor Mann, Akhil Markanday, Oliver McClintock, eibhlin Murray, 

James Partridge, Andrew Pullen, Mark Ridgeway, Jane samuelson, sophie schultz, James sealey, 

Prashanthy shankar, Richard smith, Rafiel sunmonu, Melissa sweeting, Frances Van eupen, Mona Vaswani, 

Jocelyn Virtue, Louise Williams, Russell Williams, Lai Lai Wong and Joanna Wood. 

John Francis and Richard Manley (both members of the Litigation department) are members of a panel of costs 

draughtsman from legal practices that participate in the Bureau service, assisting the Bureau with clients who have 

costs problems. 

James Bank, director RCJ Bureau, says, “Taken individually, having a partner on our Trustee Board, sending solicitors to 

give pro bono advice, donating grants and resources, and committing the expertise of design professionals, all make a 

great difference to the RCJ Advice Bureau and the people we help. When taken together, the impact is immense. 

Allen & Overyʼs approach of focussing combined resources at priority needs makes a very real difference to the lives of 

the vulnerable people from across England and Wales seeking access to justice through the Bureau.” 

CHAnCeRY LAne LeGAL ADVICe CLInIC 

Chancery Lane Legal Advice Clinic (CLLAC) is a partnership between the Royal Courts of Justice, LawWorks, 

Allen & Overy, the Law Society and the Royal Association for the Deaf (RAD). This clinic provides pro bono help to 

profoundly deaf and hard-of-hearing people who are unable to get appropriate advice through legal advice centres, 

as a result of the communication barrier. 

Allen & Overy administers the clinic and the rota is managed by Alison Lawrence (EB Senior Legal PA) who co-ordinates 

bookings between the clients, interpreters and the advising solicitors, as well as booking facilities at the Law Society. 

Allen & Overy created the publicity materials, and provides laptops, stationery and filing cabinets for the clinic. 

In October 2007, the RCJ Advice Bureau took over as head agency for CLLAC so that they are able to see some 

of the clients with social welfare law problems in their LawWorks clinic at the Royal Courts of Justice and at the 

Principle Registry of the Family Division. 

Volunteer advisors include: David Bridge, Kirsten Bryans, Lydia Chesshyre, Andy Cork, Jane Higgins and 

Katie White. 

emma shaw (Pro Bono & Community Affairs Officer) oversees the organisation of the scheme. 


enVIROnMentAL LAW FOUnDAtIOn 


The Environmental Law Foundation (ELF) is a national UK charity that helps people to use the law to protect and 

improve their local environment and quality of life. Through its network of specialist lawyers and consultants across 

the UK, ELF provides free guidance and continuing support to those in need of assistance. The London office is a 

member of ELFʼs panel of solicitors who take on cases on a pro bono basis. The London office has been working 

with ELF for over 10 years. Owen Lomas (partner, Corporate – Environment) is a trustee of ELF and the London 

office provides strategic input to ELF's Board of Trustees to assist in ELF's development. The London office also 

provides meeting room facilities to the Board. 

We ARe WHAt We DO 

A team of corporate lawyers from A&O recently helped We Are What We Do (WAWWD) convert from a plc to a 

Community Interest Company (CIC). WAWWD began life as a Community Links project with the aim of encouraging 

people to think practically about how their everyday actions can change the world. It is the producer of several 

well-known books such as Change The World for a Fiver; the Anya Hindmarch “Iʼm Not A Plastic Bag” bags, and 

more recently the “Plastic Ainʼt My Bag” bags. WAWWD is funded by the proceeds from the sale of such products. 

A&O helped it separate from Community Links and convert to a CIC – a commercial company with a social aim, 

whose activities must be carried out for the benefit of the community. The work was done pro bono to provide 

valuable support to an organisation with a strong social and community ethos. In order to convert WAWWD into 

a CIC, A&O lawyers helped amend the memorandum and articles of association. natalie Behrman and Richard 

Browne handled the case, and their work involved drafting a new memorandum and articles of association for 

WAWWD to comply with the CIC regulations. Colin Pearson and sarah Marquis also provided essential IP advice 

to WAWWD. 

natalie Behrman commented, “It was a pleasure working with We Are What We Do, and rewarding to assist an 

organisation with an important social message. The conversion into a CIC should enable them to continue the great 

work that they do.” 

HUMAn RIGHts WORK 

ADVOCAtes FOR InteRnAtIOnAL DeVeLOPMent 

Advocates for International Development (A4ID) is an independent organisation born out of the Oxfam 1,000 City 

Lawyers Initiative after the Asian tsunami, which aims to engage practically with and to champion the UN Millennium 

Development Goals. 

Working with NGO partners such as Action Aid, Oxfam, Tearfund and WaterAid, A4IDʼs projects currently range 

from work on the terms of coffee agreements to improve producer sustainability to advising on amendments to the 

rural code in Niger to improve the land rights of the Tuareg and other pastoralists. A4IDʼs work has a broad base. 

The organisation works within all areas of legal practice to partner lawyersʼ skills with the priorities of the developing 

world. Key areas in which A4ID works are international trade, debt management, development support and 

capacity-building both within government and civil society. A4ID projects include: 

n Providing corporate advice on current or proposed legislation; 

n Building the capacity of national trade negotiation teams to assist their participation in WTO; 

n Bilateral and multilateral talks; 

n Assisting tribal peoples in the determination of their land rights; and 

n Providing technical advice on the terms and structures of debt and trade agreements. 

We work with A4ID in two ways: 

Working on specific pro bono projects. We have already undertaken large, multi-jurisdictional research projects for 

organisations such as Tearfund and Plan International, through A4ID; 



Assisting through A4IDʼs Working Groups. These have been set up to help the organisation establish relationships 

with development organisations and develop advocacy opportunities and pro bono projects within the following 

specific areas of law: 

n Trade and investment working group. This group works to promote and sustain development-friendly 

competition, investment and international trade regimes. 

n Debt and finance working group. This group focuses upon assisting the Heavily Indebted Poor 

Countries (HIPC) in resolving existing debt disputes and advising how to better protect their rights 

and interests when entering into financial agreements. 

n Governance working group. The governance group works to promote the rule of law, working with 

developing countries to build strong, independent and efficient legal and regulatory systems. 

n Development rights working group. Lawyers in the development rights group will focus upon a 

variety of cultural and social rights that are fundamental to sustainable development. 

Lawyers involved with A4ID include: Andrew Denny, Rainer evers, Claire Hargreaves, Alyson Lockett, 

Melissa Manzo, Ian Mathers, Faraaz samadi, Pallavi sehkri and Kate skinner. Ian Mathers (Corporate) sits 

on the advisory board of A4ID, providing strategic advice and support. 

Examples of our work with A4ID: 

AFFORD – Remit Aid and Microfinance Work 

The African Foundation for Development (AFFORD) is a London-based registered charity that mobilises the African 

diaspora to contribute to development in Africa. Its primary focus is on harnessing the African diaspora’s resources to 

support small-scale entrepreneurs to create and sustain jobs in Africa. 

Remit Aid was a programme started by AFFORD, advocating remittance tax relief (RTF) for international development. 

Its aim is to build a fund to support development in Africa. Last year, Faraaz samaadi and Colin Pearson advised 

on protecting the Remit Aid brand and, in particular, registering its name as a trademark. As Remit Aid will operate 

internationally, we advised on the appropriate mechanisms for trademark protection on a global basis. 

As part of the support it gives to small-scale entrepreneurs, AFFORD wishes to work with the banking sector so that 

entrepreneurs can receive accessible and affordable business support. One of AFFORD’s initiatives in this area is 

entitled ‘Access to Finance’ and involves commercial banks providing business advisory services to entrepreneurs. 

AFFORD’s role is to bring entrepreneurs and banks together, bringing in much-needed funds from banks to the 

small-scale entrepreneur market and, through its knowledge and experience of the sector, give comfort to the 

banks involved. AFFORD’s ultimate aim is to ensure that through banks increasing their access to the growing 

micro market, more entrepreneurs are able to build and expand their businesses – thereby producing a sustainable 

programme of economic and social development throughout Africa. 

Lawyers in the English Banking Group in our Amsterdam office will assist AFFORD in the negotiation and drafting of 

a partnership agreement for its proposed relationship with the pan-African financial institution. Those working on the 

project include: Ben Fox, Freddy Jacobse, Maryn spruyt, Andrew thomas and David Wilcox. 

nef, the new economics foundation 

nef is an independent think tank founded in 1986 by the leaders of the Other Economic Summit. In the international 

sphere, its aim is to “expose the problems with the international finance and economic systems and create 

appropriate remedies”. As part of this, it researches and advocates for changes to global governance to tackle 

international issues like climate change and international debt. 

Andrew Denny (partner, Litigation) and a partner at Herbert Smith provided the head of nef’s New Global Economy 

Programme with research examining governance and human rights issues in relation to international institutions and 

governments. Andrew Denny also sits on A4IDʼs Governance Working Group. 


Valid nutrition 


Lawyers from our Paris and London offices worked with Valid Nutrition, a humanitarian charity, in its negotiations 

relating to the production of Ready to use Foods (RUFs) for the treatment and prevention of malnutrition. Further 

information about this project can be found in the Global Summary at the beginning of this report. 

Those involved were: Bianca Achilles, Ahmad Baladi (PA), emmanuelle Bartoli (PA), Peter Harper, Kunthea Ker 

and Jennifer Lovell. 

economic Partnership Agreement Ratification Research 

A team of lawyers from A&O and other A4ID member firms assisted a coalition of NGOs led by Tearfund by researching 

the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) ratification process in each of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) 

countries. The EPA ratification process project formed part of A4IDʼs wider EPA monitoring and assistance project and 

was one of the requests that stemmed from an EPA roundtable held between NGO trade policy advisors and members 

of A4ID, during which the status and content of EPA negotiations were reviewed and examined. The participating 

NGOs, which included ActionAid, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Traidcraft and Tearfund, asked A4ID if it could produce a review 

of the constitutional and administrative processes that each ACP country would have to follow in order to ratify the entry 

into any bilateral trade agreement or regional trade agreement. The review was used as a basis for further discussion 

with ACP trade negotiators liaising with NGOs to help formulate EPA negotiation strategies. 

Those who worked on this project included: Abisade Adenubi, James Burton, Kerry-Anne-Callaghan, 

Christina Cheng, Laila De Melo, narda Graham, Alistair Hill, Melanie Holden, Laura Ings, tinashe Makoni, 

Melissa Manzo, eliza Meehan, samir Mehta, Peter Mendham, Jemma Olsen, sophie Orr, Anne Pages, 

shatyn Permalloo, Dave turley, nilopar Uddin, Melanie Vilarasau slade and Lauren Willis. 

“At a Glance” Guides 

A team of A&O lawyers contributed to researching and drafting a series of know-how guides on key legal issues, 

challenges and institutions relating to the field of human rights and international development work. The purpose of 

creating the online guides was to create an easy to access resource for the international development community 

and to raise awareness of how lawyers can assist development work. 

The following volunteers produced these “At a Glance” Guides for A4ID: 

n OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and OECD Guidelines and Principles in respect of 

Export Credit Agencies – tess Kelly 

n An Introduction to the UN Declaration on Human Rights – Zara spencer and Ian Mathers 

n Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements – Liz Brownsell, Karan Chandhiok, Virginia tan and 

Matthew Gearing 

n Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) – Chris Peters and Colin Pearson 

n Guide to Transparency International Corruption Perception Index – emily Love and Franz Ranero 

It support 

Mark Heathcote (technical specialist, IT) provided A4ID with an initial consultation session to discuss A4IDʼs 

information management requirements and the most appropriate and cost-effective solutions to meet their needs. 

steve Roberts (executive director, IT) and Jason Haines (global director of IT) also gave their support to the 

consultation process. This follows on from IT support provided by Gillian Hoxley and Bina shah, formerly from 

A&O, who assisted A4ID to develop their formal training courses on development issues and use technology more 

efficiently for the knowledge management aspect of A4ID's work. 

newly Qualified Lawyers Programme (nQLP) 

A&O is supporting A4ID in a new partnership with Challenges Worldwide (CWW), an international NGO which 

facilitates opportunities for volunteering professionals to share their skills with those working in developing countries. 

CWW and A4ID have identified a need for lawyers to become involved and share their expertise through a range 



of short-term in-country opportunities. They have designed a number of four- to six-week in-country opportunities 

in which junior lawyers can participate during their qualification leave. Opportunities include: legal advisor to the 

Women's Department: Protection Against Domestic Violence in Belize; legal advisor to support HIV/AIDS project and 

training programmes in India; and legal advisor to CHRI, Ghana: Transparency in 2008 Elections. siobhan Lambert, 

Lydia Chesshyre and Helen Rogers are involved with this project and can be contacted for further information. 

International Investment Agreements training for Latin American Government Officials, santiago 

Partner Matthew Gearing (HK), and associates nicole Duclos (NY) and Anthony sinclair trained government 

representatives and lawyers from a wide range of Latin American countries on investment treaty arbitration, covering 

subjects such as transparency in investment treaty arbitration and best practices in drafting arbitration pleadings. 

The seminar was jointly organised by A4ID, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the British 

Institute for International and Comparative Law. 

A4ID Law and International Development training Course 

The second year of A4IDʼs bespoke law and international development annual training programme commenced 

on 12th October 2007 and was attended this year by A&O associates Alyson Lockett and Melissa Manzo. 

The course is run in conjunction with legal and development experts from the British Institute of International 

and Comparative Law, The University of Manchester's School of Law, the Institute for Development, Policy and 

Management and the Brooks World Poverty Institute. The purpose of the course is to provide participants with 

an overview of the core legal, social and economic issues underpinning A4IDʼs four practice areas: trade and 

investment, debt and finance, governance, and development rights. 

DeAtH ROW WORK 

A&O belongs to the London Panel for Capital Cases, comprising legal practices which represent, on a pro bono 

basis, prisoners on death row in Jamaica, Grenada and Trinidad & Tobago who are able to appeal to the Privy 

Council. The litigation department currently represents two prisoners in Jamaica and four in Trinidad and Tobago. 

Mark Levy (Litigation) is the partner with overall responsibility for the London officeʼs death row work. Christabel 

Kensit and Joanna Grant provide general guidance to other lawyers acting for prisoners in Jamaica and Trinidad 

and Tobago including: John OʼConor, Matthew Bower, James Freeman, Christabel Kensit, Alexandra Key, Kate 

MacGregor, emma teale, Andrew Waters and Angeline Welsh. 

Assisting Jamaican counsel 

Joanna Grant, Matthew Bower and emma teale have been particularly active in assisting Jamaican counsel on 

behalf of certain appellants in Titus Henry, Morris Boreland, Donovan Mullings, Junior Wright and Clifton Shaw v The 

Queen; a case in which the Privy Council ordered that the Jamaican Court of Appeal should hear fresh evidence. 

InteRIGHts 

INTERIGHTS is the International Centre for the Legal Protection of Human Rights. It celebrated its 25th anniversary 

last year. Since its establishment in 1982, INTERIGHTS has provided judges, lawyers, non-governmental 

organisations and victims with help on the practical application of international and comparative human rights law 

in national, regional and international courts and tribunals. INTERIGHTS works globally on many levels to achieve 

its aim of improving international human rights. Employing the expertise of lawyers in numerous jurisdictions, 

INTERIGHTS submits amicus curiae briefs before domestic and international courts, in cases raising important 

issues in the interpretation of fundamental rights. 

Commonwealth Human Rights Law Digest 

Lawyers from several A&O offices each summarise important cases each year for INTERIGHTSʼ Commonwealth 

Human Rights Law Digest. The Digest, which presents summaries of significant domestic human rights decisions 

from across the Commonwealth, covering over 50 different subject areas, provides a valuable resource for jurists 

and human rights activists. It is used to develop human rights jurisprudence and international standards in many 

jurisdictions, and also to promote and support the work of human rights defenders. 



This year, volunteers also summarised cases for a special issue of the Digest (SEROL), focussing on cases dealing 

with matters of security and rule of law. 

Those who volunteered to prepare case summaries for the Digest including the SEROL issue were: Abisade Adenubi, 

steffan Adfeldt, Aemelia Allen, Roz Allsopp, Hannah Ambrose, Anita Anand, Gareth Banfield, Colin Bole, 

Joan Boyle, James Bruce, Chris Burkett, Lee Carroll, Christina Cheng, Jennifer Choi, Rebecca Clayton, 

talia Comez, sapfo Constantatos, Andy Cork, Helen Cowley, Ben Crawford, Jonathan Crompton, Ian Curry, 

Kate Dickinson, Layla Dowle, Georgina Éclair-Heath, Portia edmiston, Andrew edwards, Katherine elkington, 

Alice englehart, Loretta Fisher, Claire Fowler, Po-siann Goh, Alexandra Green, niti Gupta, Grace Hakim, 

Clare Hargreaves, Alex Hiendl, Jane Higgins, Alistair Hill, Katie Hoare, Mona Jain, edward Jones, tamsin Jones, 

Harpreet Kaur, Pearlie Kee, tess Kelly, sahar Kianfar, Jocelyn Land, Hugh Lauritsen, esther Lemmon, 

Robert Lister, Christine Liu, Guy Livingstone, Jonathan Lloyd, emily Love, Mirea Lynton-Grotz, 

Anna Macleod-smith, Camilla Macpherson, Laveena Mahtani, tinashe Makoni, Leigh-Anne Males, 

Jennifer Manning, Julia Marriott, Mark Martin, Jennifer Maskell, Brin Mazen, Catherine McDougall, 

tamsyn McLean, Piyush Mishra, Jeremy Moncrieff, Deirdre Moynihan, ed Murray, Catherine O'Luanaigh, 

Oliver Oakley-White, Gabor Papp, Patrizia Pasqualini, Chris Peters, Joanna Powell, Amelia Pumphrey, 

Grant Quixley, Kamran Rabbani, tara Rajah, Daniel Rawsterne, tim Regis, emily Roach, tom Roberts, 

Alistair Robertson, sebastian Rudkin, Akash sachdeva, Kate saville, Pallavi sekhri, Reena sheth, 

Veronique simon, Kate skinner, Jennifer stamberger, Charlotte stetzel, tim stewart, Luke streatfeild, 

Marvelle sullivan, emma teale, Olivier too, Janie tremblay, nilopar Uddin, Addie Ugbenne, Maria Vassalos, 

Ruth Wang, Catherine Weller, Angeline Welsh, Richard Whitaker, Jennifer White, Anna Whitney, 

Louise Williams, Hannah Willoughby and sarah Wilson. 

Thank you also to Gareth Cox and all the Document Checkers who proofread the Digest for INTERIGHTS for the 

first time this year. 

Research Projects 

Our lawyers also undertook discrete research projects for INTERIGHTS throughout the year on behalf of overseas 

lawyers needing material to support their cases. 

In July 2007, INTERIGHTS asked if we could help with urgent case research for inclusion in a report to be presented 

at an inter-governmental ASEM seminar in Cambodia at the end of September. The report considered Freedom of 

Expression in Europe and Asia, including the international framework for freedom of expression and acceptable and 

unacceptable limitations to it. ASEM, the “Asia-Europe Meeting”, is a working group of the Asia-Europe Foundation 

(ASEF). ASEM is a forum that promotes co-operation between Asian and European countries. It represents a 

process based on dialogue with the objective of strengthening interaction and mutual understanding between the 

two regions and promoting co-operation that aims at sustainable economic and social development. After each 

conference, the outcomes of the discussions are gathered in a publication that may be used by governments 

and civil society as a reference on the state of play of the debate on Human Rights in ASEM countries. Antonia 

eliason, Dev Gandhi, Mona Jain, tess Kelly, Daniel Rawsterne, Adrienne schwisow, sheri Wanamaker and 

Peggy Wun provided short summaries of illustrative cases from each of the Asia ASEM member countries on key 

freedom of expression issues such as incitement to hatred or racism, blasphemy, protection of private life, criminal 

defamation and obscenity, for inclusion in the ASEM Report. 

In October 2007, Lucinda Capel, Katie Joyce, tess Kelly and tim Watson assisted lawyers working on the 

important Ocalan v Turkey case before the European Court of Human Rights who were seeking to argue that life 

sentences without the possibility of parole constitute inhuman or degrading treatment and are therefore a breach of 

fundamental human rights. 

In April 2008, INTERIGHTS was given leave to intervene in a case before the European Court of Human Rights 

regarding certain abuses committed by the Russian government during the Moscow Theatre siege in October 2002, 

where over a hundred people died. INTERIGHTS was given only a week to assemble its case and called on A&Oʼs 

help to look at the jurisprudence of a number of international bodies, domestic courts and international standards 

regulating the use of force during counter-terrorist operations. The following people researched and collated useful 

information within a short timescale: Julianna Bendek, Marco Bonioli, Joydeep Choudhuri, Zina elimelakh, 



Marton eorsi, Barbara Forman, sarah Macrory, Bilal Mahmood, Florian Quintard, Zalina sanova, 

James sinclair, Joan tan, Virginia tan, sergio Ung, Dominic Von Wulffen, Lauren Warner, tim Watson 

and stephanie Wilson. 

Most recently, James Haggie, Christina topsoe and stephanie Wilson undertook international and comparative law 

research on discriminatory statements in a tenancy agreement on behalf of one of INTERIGHTSʼ contacts in the Pacific. 

The tenancy agreement stated “No Muslims/Chinese/Rotuman tenants” and “Beef and Pork not allowed in the premises”. 

LIBeRtY 

Liberty is the UKʼs oldest and leading civil liberties and 

human rights campaigning group. It is a small 

non-governmental organisation whose human rights 

litigation unit takes on test cases in support of its 

campaigning strategy. 

The London office has fostered a close relationship 

with Liberty. A trainee secondment programme is in its 

sixth year and, for the last four years, associates from 

the London office have volunteered to man Libertyʼs 

public advice line on the first Monday of each month. 

Associates and trainees have also taken part in a 

scheme which involves drafting letters to members of 

the public who contact Liberty for advice. This scheme 

is now in its third year. 

trainee secondment 

Trainees from several firms are seconded to the Human Rights Litigation Unit for three months, almost doubling the 

volume of work Liberty can take on. The unit consists of three full-time lawyers and four trainees, so the nature of 

the supervision and responsibility given to trainees is very different to that at the London office. This allows trainees 

to manage the day-to-day conduct of matters and also to have a significant input into the strategic planning of 

litigation. Additionally, trainees liaise directly with Counsel and clients and, from very early on, become the public 

face of Liberty with respect to the matters with which they are dealing. Secondees may also have the opportunity 

to go to the European Court of Human Rights, liaise with government bodies and network with a large variety of 

organisations. In 2007/2008, the following trainees were seconded to Liberty: Kamran Rabbani, Laura spearing, 

Charlotte stetzel, Alistair Robertson and Matthew Hodgson 

Liberty advice line and letters scheme 

London office volunteers assist Liberty with their public advice line and also respond to letters providing preliminary 

advice on possible human rights infringements. During 2007/2008, Allen & Overy volunteers responded to 226 queries. 

The Liberty Letters Project has recently been short listed for the LawWorks Pro Bono Award 2008 for “Best Contribution 

for a Partnership”. 

Both of these schemes are co-ordinated by terri Wipperman and supervised by Angeline Welsh. The London 

office volunteers are: 

n Advice Line: Arnondo Chakrabarti, Andrew Denny, Davina Given, shin Ji Kim, Mahmood Lone, 

tamsyn McLean, Catherine O'Luanaigh, Andrew Pullen, Alistair Robertson, Akash sachdeva, 

Pallavi sekhri, Katie spooner, Angeline Welsh and Russell Williams. 

n Letters Clinic: Roz Allsopp, Laura Baird, Kathryn Carlile, Jennifer Choi, Michelle Chowdhury, 

Rebecca Clayton, spencer Collins, Viv Cotes, tammy Dickenson, Kate Dickinson, natasha Doulia, 

Alexander Dresch, Hugh Drummond, suanne Duhig, Melissa Dunn, Alice Falconer, Barbara Forman, 

Po-siann Goh, toby Hewitt, Katie Hoare, Katie Joyce, Afsha Karim, Harpreet Kaur, tess Kelly, 

Hannah Lacey, Jocelyn Land, Jake Lee, Jonathan Lloyd, Mirea Lynton-Grotz, sarah Macrory, 

Bilal Mahmood, eliza Meehan, sophie Minoprio, Leigh Missig, Catherine O'Luanaigh, sophie Orr, 



Kamran Rabbani, Alistair Robertson, tobi Rufus, Akash sachdeva, Pallavi sekhri, Aline shuttleworth, 

nicola simson, James sinclair, Annette so, Laura spearing, Zara spencer, Jennifer stamberger, 

Charlotte stetzel, Katy stokes, emma teale, Alexander thavenot, sara Vandore, Anthony Ward, 

nick Watmough, Laura Willett, Louise Williams, Rebecca Windle and Diane Wood. 

Human Rights Awards 2007 

In December 2007, Allen & Overy sponsored the Human Rights Awards which is a joint venture between Liberty 

and JUSTICE. The Awards are held every year to commemorate International Human Rights Day. 

JUstICe 

JUSTICE is an all-party law reform and human rights organisation, working to improve the legal system and 

the quality of justice, in particular by promoting human rights; improving the legal system and access to justice; 

improving criminal justice; and raising standards of EU justice and home affairs. 

strategic Litigation Project 

Associates and trainees in the Litigation department have been working with JUSTICE to produce a study on the use 

of strategic litigation. Strategic litigation is where the instigator seeks a political or legal outcome which benefits a 

wider class than just the parties involved in the case. 

Working with Roger Smith, the director of JUSTICE, and as part of their training programme during their seat in 

Litigation, the trainees have been researching topics including: 

n The use of strategic litigation by commercial organisations and the identification of an illustrative example; 

n The use of strategic High Court litigation by pressure groups, both to change the law and to further a 

political campaign; 

n Evidence of the strategic use of the Human Rights Act; 

n The development and state of play of third party interventions; 

n Analysis of recent third party interventions by JUSTICE. 

The work of the trainees has been supervised and managed by associates in the department, who are also assisting 

in identifying relevant commercial cases. The team included: Patrick Arnold, Andrew Battison, Keily Beirne, 

David Bridge, spencer Collins, suanna Duhig, Alice Falconer, Rosemary Ioannou, scott Lovell, 

Mirea Lynton-Grotz, Reena sheth, emily tew, Richard Whitaker and trevor Withane. The report produced 

by our volunteers will be published later in 2008 by JUSTICE in a special edition of its annual review. 

sAVe tHe CHILDRen UK 

Michael Brown has been working on a pro bono basis with Save the Children UK since August 2007 for one day 

per week on a corporate governance project, “Office in a Box”. The project involved a complete review and re-write, 

in easy access and user-friendly fashion, of Save the Children's non-financial operating procedures. Its focus is on 

ensuring that Save the Children has clear, effective, intelligible and accessible systems throughout the organisation 

which tell accountable individuals at head office and field level how they should operate in a risk-aware manner, so 

as to minimise the risk of serious reputational or financial damage to this important international charity. The project, 

once approved by the trustees, will be rolled out internationally within the organisation, and will involve a step change 

in Save the Childrenʼs corporate governance regime. 

A&O were approached about this project by the then finance director of Save the Children, who had previously been 

a senior banker at corporate clients Citigroup. 

Michael Brown notes, “For me, personally, it has been an eye-opening and very rewarding chance to work with 

such a terrifically important and professional charity”. 



OXFAM InteRnAtIOnAL 

Lawyers in our offices in Japan, Spain, France, the US and Belgium assisted Oxfam International with a review of the 

employment contracts used in their international offices in these countries to ensure that they comply with local laws 

and practices. This exercise was part of an overall review of Oxfam Internationalʼs pay and benefits practice. As well 

as reviewing their standard employment contract and terms and conditions document, our lawyers also completed 

a questionnaire which included questions on notice periods, disciplinary processes and benefits. The lawyers who 

undertook this work were: Christian Bayart, Marina Casani, Karen etienne-sloan, séverine Fratta, Moira Guitart, 

Osamu Ito, Carmen Martinez, Henry Morgenbesser, taro nakashima, Gregory Olczak-Godefert, Asako Ogura, 

Chiyokazu shindo and Kazumasa tateno. 

We have also provided pro bono advice and support on a number of other matters for Oxfam this year, and those 

lawyers who have assisted on these include: Catherine Antcliffe, Justin Grove, Colleen Keck, Jonathan Kirsop, 

Mark Mansell and Colin Pearson. 

InteRnAtIOnAL LAWYeRs FOR AFRICA 

International Lawyers for Africa (ILFA) was launched in March 2006 to give lawyers from Africa a grounding in 

specialist skills for international lawyers. International law is at the heart of issues which directly affect African 

nations ranging from debt relief to human rights, fair trade, the elimination of corruption and the protection of the 

environment. It aims to equip developing nations with the most skilled representatives to work for them in the 

dialogue with the G8 group of countries and international institutions. 

ILFA organises placements of three months for high-calibre African lawyers with top law firms in the UK. The 

placements are combined with high-level training in international law and key legal practice skills delivered by 

sponsoring law firms, as well as talks and lectures from international lawyers from leading universities and relevant 

international institutions. 

Nine African countries participated in the first ILFA programme, which ran from September 2007 to November 2007. 

A&O sponsored the ILFA 2007 programme and hosted Lumka Khaile, a qualified lawyer from South Africa. Lumka 

is a legal advisor at Standard Bank, South Africa, and specialises in corporate and investment banking. Lumka 

provides legal advice to the bank on issues affecting the Africa network. Lumka has an LL.B from the University of 

Kwazulu Natal and a postgraduate diploma in Contract Law from University of Johannesburg. 

During Lumkaʼs placement at A&O, she sat with our Projects and Global Loans team in Banking. In addition, Lumka 

was also introduced to A&O's African Desk. Lumka attended a variety of training sessions organised by A&O 

and other firms participating in the programme, including sessions on international capital markets, banking law, 

international law and skills sessions on advocacy, mediation, negotiation, presentations and project management. 

nomita nair, James taylor and Graham Vinter all worked with Lumka during her time at A&O, offering her support 

and working with her on a number of matters. Paul Crook and siobhan Lambert co-ordinated and managed 

Lumkaʼs placement with A&O and were central to the success of her time with the firm. 

A&O continues to sponsor the ILFA programme and will be hosting a further African lawyer from September 2008. 

InteRnAtIOnAL LAWYeRs PROJeCt 

ILP is currently working on an exciting initiative with the Attorney Generalʼs Pro Bono Committee to develop 

training modules on a number of issues and areas of law to be delivered to the legal professions of countries in the 

developing world. The aim of the initiative is to build the capacity of these professions and help develop the rule 

of law in their nations. sara George and Ian thomas developed a training module on money laundering to be 

delivered to Tanzanian judges as part of the pilot project. 

A&O lawyers also assisted the former chair of the A&O pro bono committee, HH Judge David Mackie, CBE QC, 

with research and preparations for his recent visit to Rwanda on behalf of ILP. David Mackie visited Rwanda to 

conduct a needs assessment on the Rwandan commercial law and legal training infrastructure to understand more 

clearly how UK lawyers could help. A team of lawyers from the London office researched background material and 

produced an outline report in advance of his visit to enable him to get the most out of his limited time in Rwanda. 

The lawyers involved were: Pallavi sekhri, Portia edmiston, James sinclair, tobias Crump, spencer Collins, 

Georgina Éclair-Heath, Daniel Roberts and natasha Doulia. 


ACtIOnAID InteRnAtIOnAL 


ActionAid is an international anti-poverty agency whose aim is to fight poverty worldwide. Jennifer White worked 

on an ongoing basis with ActionAid International (AAI) on various matters relating to their contracts with partner 

organisations in Europe and Africa, and on other related projects. 

WAteRAID 

Jennifer White also continues to provide strategic advice to WaterAid, with whom A&O have a long-standing 

relationship. WaterAid is an international charity whose mission is to overcome poverty by enabling the worldʼs 

poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. 

CItIZensHIP FOUnDAtIOn 

The Citizenship Foundation is an educational charity that aims to help people become more effective citizens 

through a better understanding of law and society. The charity produces a booklet called a “Young Citizenʼs 

Passport”. This is a short pocket book about the kinds of issues that affect young people today. It outlines briefly 

some of the relevant laws as well as our obligations and rights in particular areas. 

The passport is aimed at young people in disadvantaged areas who often donʼt have easy access to information 

or an awareness of their rights. We were asked to review various chapters of the book to make sure that the law 

mentioned is up to date. This was done by Katie Joyce, Lauren Wills, sarah Wilson and sarah Juniper. 

LAWWORKs 

LawWorks is the operating name of the Solicitors Pro Bono Group, an independent charity with a mission to support, 

promote and encourage a commitment to pro bono across the legal profession. LawWorks aims to increase 

the delivery of free legal advice to individuals and communities in need. It is a membership-based organisation 

whose members are law firms, in-house legal departments and other organisations interested in contributing to 

the provision of legal pro bono work in England and Wales. LawWorks provides practical support, advice and 

information through a range of projects. 

A&Oʼs London office is a project founder of LawWorks and closely supports one of its projects, LawWorks for 

Community Groups. The London office works on this initiative alongside other legal practices and companies such 

as BAE Systems, Cable & Wireless and ASDA to form a pro bono referral panel which provides free business law 

advice to community groups and small not-for-profit organisations. 

This year, we have worked closely with staff at LawWorks to help launch a new law clinic with Crisis, the charity for 

homeless people. Please refer to the section on Crisis for further details. 

We also continue to support LawWorks in its role as the voice of legal pro bono professionals across the UK, in 

particular, as speakers at the Annual National Pro Bono Conference and as members of LawWorksʼ working groups 

considering ways to encourage greater participation in pro bono work and ways to manage the ‘ranking’ by external 

commentators of UK firms who undertake pro bono. 

PRIVAte CLIent DePARtMent 

Ceris Gardner, Robert Bulling and emma-Jane Weider have advised the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust on its 

establishment as a registered charity. Other parts of the firm are also advising, including naomi Leach (Corporate) on 

a sponsorship agreement with BT and Oliver Jones (E&B) on an employment contract for the Trustʼs chief executive. 

sophie Mazzier, Ceris Gardner and emma-Jane Weider have been involved with the Corporate Department in 

advising the Community Links Foundation on the establishment of a community interest company and an associated 

charitable foundation. 

Ceris Gardner and Lydia Kinley continue to advise the Against Malaria Foundation which raises funds for the 

prevention of malaria. 

Jennifer Chambers has provided advice to Cricket without Borders, Roadpeace and Heritage Links. 



Lydia Kinley continues to assist Ceris Gardner on advising St Katharine and Shadwell Trust. Louise Zekaria is an 

‘e-mentor’ for two individuals participating in the Trustʼs Capacity Builders pilot programme. 

Lucinda Pfaff and Ceris Gardner have advised Switchback on its establishment as a registered charitable trust, and 

on its subsequent conversion to a corporate charity. Switchback works locally with young adult and juvenile offenders, 

providing skills training and support up to and following their release, having its base at the Skylight Café, Spitalfields. 

Jennifer Chambers, Lydia Kinley and Robert Bulling continue to advise the trustees of the Stuart Menzies 

Memorial Trust on charity law issues relating to investment of funds and grant making. The trust, set up in 1989 in 

memory of the late Stuart Menzies (who was a Corporate partner), provides bursaries to deserving students at the 

College of Law. 

Clare Maurice continues to chair the Barts and the London Charity (formerly St Bartholomewʼs and the Royal 

London Charitable Foundation). 

Richard turnor is vice-chairman of the Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign and sits on Royal Marsden Hospital 

charities grants sub-committee. Richard is a member of the committees to which the Stuart Menzies Memorial Trust 

and the Allen & Overy Foundation have delegated their powers. 

Ceris Gardner is a trustee of the IBA Charitable Trust and the European Association for Planned Giving. 

Arabella saker continues to be a trustee of the Friends United Network and of the Capital Cases Charitable Trust. 

Rachel Khiara is an advisor to the trustees of the Arts and Crafts museum and master-craftsmen’s workshops, 

offering apprenticeships to talented school leavers. The museum and workshops are to be established in Lambeth in 

2010 and it is hoped that this will help to regenerate the area. 

tHe Us LAW GROUP 

The US Law Group in London continued to demonstrate its commitment to pro bono and community service by 

participating in a variety of activities, including the following: 

The US Law Group in London was also active in a number of American Bar Association Section of International Law 

activities, spearheaded by Jeff Golden, the chair of the ABA Section of International Law. In addition to that role, 

he has also served on the boards of the ABAʼs Rule of Law Initiative and the World Justice Project and established 

a new task force called FEED, which stands for “Financial Engineering for Economic Development” and provides 

pro bono assistance to facilitate use of the most sophisticated financial products by the least developed countries to 

manage their risk. Other members of the firm, both inside and outside the US Law Group, including Pamela Chepiga, 

stephen Denyer, Adam Farlow, Judith Gill, Jim Grandolfo, David Jabbari, Carolyn Jackson, thomas Jones, 

Hartmut Krause and Clare Maurice, were involved including taking a leadership role on a number of important 

committees, participating in the Rule of Law and Economic Development Working Group, chairing the ABA International 

Fall Meeting and related programming, and organising “Live from the SEC”. 

FC Harlem Academy 

Over the past year, A&O has seen its pro bono client FC Harlem Academy (FCHA) grow significantly and gain some 

great publicity. FCHA is a recreational league and mentorship programme designed to create a safe opportunity for 

fair and enjoyable football (“soccer” in the US) for inner city Harlem youth. FCHA has been thrown into the spotlight 

of the US Soccer community and New York City local politics – due particularly to their advocacy for more green 

space in the city and a practice session with soccer star David Beckham – and have had several articles in New York 

Times following their progress. Lucas Hartley, Corey ellen Fulton (both in the New York office) and Dimitrios 

efstathiou have been assisting FCHA in drafting and amending their corporate documents, providing advice in 

creating a long-term business plan, and co-operating with professional US soccer organisations and various New 

York City government agencies to create urban “futsal” fields. This collaboration culminated in a “Streets to Fields” 

Gala Banquet for FCHA held at the Gotham Hall in New York City, with over 700 people in attendance from the sports 

and entertainment industry and New York local politics. The gala banquet included appearances by David Beckham 

and Pele, and raised over US$500,000 for the construction of a full-size soccer pitch in Harlem. 


Limehouse Project 


stefka Kavaldjieva serves as a charity trustee and a member of the management committee of the Limehouse 

Project, a community, voluntary sector organisation delivering an extensive range of services in Tower Hamlets, 

one of the most deprived boroughs in Britain, in a number of languages, including Somali, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali 

and Arabic. Last year alone, the Limehouse Project provided advice and information services on welfare benefits, 

housing, finance and debt, immigration and domestic violence to over 5,500 local disadvantaged people and offered 

training, education and job search support to over 100 students and trainees. The ethos of the Limehouse Project is 

to provide a holistic approach to supporting and empowering families out of poverty. 

In addition, Stefka also serves as a vice-chair on the Young Lawyers Interest Network committee (YIN) of ABA 

International. YIN provides networking opportunities for young practitioners living inside and outside the US and 

promotes stronger relationships among young lawyer organisations worldwide. In her leadership role last year, 

Stefka represented YIN at the European Young Bar Association conference in London, as well as organising several 

programmes and events for young lawyers at the Fall and Spring meetings of the International Section of the ABA, 

taking place in London and New York, respectively. 

erin stieber has been participating in the numeracy programme at the Bethnal Green School and has also done 

training courses in anticipation of participating in the pilot legal intake programme at CRISIS. 

Joel tashjian serves as a director for a small up-start opera company called Opera Co-operative. The mission of 

Opera Co-operative is to bring to bring opera performance to underserved communities in London and to use opera 

as a tool for community building. A&O has supported Opera Co-operative since its inception, providing both financial 

and in-kind support to the company. 

Brian smith continued his involvement with the London Network of Human Rights Watch during the past year. 

Human Rights Watch is an organisation dedicated to defending and protecting the human rights of people around 

the world, conducting on-site investigations of human rights abuses in more than 70 countries worldwide and 

publishing its findings in reports used in high-level policy discussions and media to shape the public agenda and 

press for change. The London Network is a group of volunteers dedicated to promoting the protection of human 

rights to friends and colleagues by supporting the work of Human Rights Watch through briefings, fundraising 

activities and events. In September 2007, Brian served on the organising committee for “Children in the Ranks”, 

a fundraiser benefiting the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch, in particular its work to bring to light human rights 

abuses against child soldiers, and Allen & Overy LLP provided sponsorship support for the event. 

PRO BOnO WORK In tHe eAst enD OF LOnDOn 

CRIsIs 

Crisis is a national charity dedicated to the relief of poverty and distress amongst homeless people, helping over 

20,000 homeless or vulnerably housed people a year. Crisisʼ headquarters are in Spitalfields, in East London. 

Since 2001, the London office has been providing pro bono advice to Crisis on issues including intellectual property, 

data protection, contract review and negotiation, litigation, fundraising, insurance, licensing and lease review, 

website protection, tax, employment and franchising. Each year the London office donates £20,000 to Crisis, rather 

than spending this money on Christmas cards for clients. The office also collects items for its Christmas shelters, and 

has held clothing collections as part of Crisisʼ Christmas appeal. 

A team of lawyers, headed by corporate partner Keith McGuire, provides ad hoc advice to Crisis. 

sophie thomashausen and Dominic Morris are our Crisis client relationship managers. The team includes: 

Aemelia Allen, Adrian Brown, Craig Harris, sarah Henchoz, Carol Hopper, Colleen Keck, Mark Levy, 

Kelly Luker, Luke nicholls, Colin Pearson, sara Pickersgill, Kiralee saunders, Kate saville, Kate skinner, 

Catriona smith, tamsin sparrow, sebastian steinfeld, Pam taak, edward timmins, David Williams and 

Hannah Willoughby. 



Crisis Consequences 

At the end of last year, Crisis asked for our help with a unique pro bono matter which is estimated to raise £250,000 

to support Crisisʼ work. Here is how the matter was described in the January 2008 edition of Articles & Opinions, 

Allen & Overy’s monthly in-house magazine: 

Facing the consequences 

When A&O lawyers Jim Ford and Katie Spooner were asked to work on a high-profile project to help the homeless 

involving rock stars Paul Weller, Beth Ditto and Supergrass, they jumped at the chance. 

Jim, partner, and Katie, associate, both work in the Corporate practice. They can usually be found working on intellectual 

property, patent licensing and outsourcing agreements. So when asked if they would like to take some time to work on a 

major event in rock history, go to a star-studded concert, and help a worthy cause, the answer was a resounding yes. 

So they got to work setting up contracts to enable a bevy of big rock stars to record a single for UK homeless charity 

Crisis, which has a long-standing relationship with A&O. 

The work, which has all been done on a pro bono basis, has helped Crisis to get a number of artists from different 

recording labels together to record the song, which will be released early next year. Jim, Katie and others are also 

working on the contracts for a follow up music festival happening in London next March. 

A&O’s involvement began just three weeks before the recording when the Pro Bono and Community Affairs team 

approached Jim asking if he could work on the project. 

Jim says: “In terms of the law involved, it hasn’t been too different from what we normally do, but the subject matter 

has made it very interesting. We work across A&O’s corporate and finance client base, and so this presented us with 

a very different world that was both challenging and fun.” 

Katie adds: “Our main focus has been negotiating waivers to allow each artist to record the song, as their record 

companies usually insist they exclusively work for them. It’s hard work because we are dealing with six different 

record companies and there wasn’t much time to get everything in place. But it’s worth it. The people at Crisis are 

understandably really excited about this project, and that has been infectious.” 

The single – called Consequences – was recorded throughout one week in November by acts including The Enemy, 

New Young Pony Club, and Drew McConnell from Babyshambles. 

It followed the pattern of the children’s game consequences, in which a story is written one sentence at a time by 

people who do not see what has been written before. For the single, different instrumental parts were recorded one 

day at a time, with each set of performers not hearing the other sections. 

Andy Page, director of fundraising at Crisis, said: “The work Allen & Overy did on this project turned what we thought 

was going to be a complete nightmare into something very simple. There were a lot of legal complexities involved in 

getting the contracts negotiated for so many big-name stars, and we were in awe of what needed to be done, but the 

guys at Allen & Overy took it in their stride and really delivered for us.” 

As a thank you for all their hard work, Jim and Katie are invited to the concert in March, which is particularly fitting, as 

they both love live music. 

“I really like a lot of the acts taking part in this project and Katie and I are really looking forward to the concert,” says 

Jim, who has been with the firm for 11 years. “Pro bono work is an important aspect of life at A&O and it’s great to 

have the opportunity to work on something like this for such an important charity.” 

The lawyers who worked on this matter were: Ben Crawford, Jim Ford, Hannah Lacey, naomi Leach, 

Adam Leadercramer, Peter Mendham and Katie spooner. 

Crisis skylight Law Clinic 

In February 2008, we launched a pilot project with Crisis and LawWorks to provide a much-needed service to Crisisʼ 

homeless clients. Based at the Crisis Skylight centre on Commercial Street, associates from the London office will provide 

pro bono legal advice on areas such as housing and social welfare every Wednesday evening between 6.00 pm and 



8.00 pm. The Crisis Skylight Law Clinic will run in addition to our long-standing pro bono clinic at Battersea Law Centre. 

The clinic will open its doors this summer following a series of in-depth training sessions. 

Volunteers will include: Andrew Battison, stephen Beattie, Rhiannon Blackmore, Jennifer Choi, Andy Cork, 

Jonathan Crompton, David Cummings, James Druce, elvan Hussein, Rosemary Ioannou, Carl Jenkins, 

emily Love, Leigh-Anne Males, ed Murray, Anne Powell, Alistair Robertson, shanda sibley, Zara spencer, 

erin stieber, Joanne strain, Luke streatfeild, Pam taak and Addie Ugbenne. 

tOYnBee HALL 

Toynbee Hall is a charity in Tower Hamlets that has been responding to the needs of the community on its doorstep 

since 1884 and helps over 6,000 local people every year. Its activities include workshops for under-16s who are at 

risk from exclusion from school, supporting vulnerable women and providing housing and social support for older 

people who find themselves isolated. Toynbee Hall is also home to the oldest free legal advice clinic in England and 

provides advice on a range of issues from employment to housing. 

Debt Advice Clinic with toynbee Hall and ABn Amro 

In January 2007, we launched a collaborative project with client, ABN Amro, and Toynbee Hall to help address the 

escalating problems of debt and financial exclusion in Tower Hamlets. Trained volunteers from the London office 

and from ABN Amro work with the Toynbee Hall Capitalise team every Tuesday evening to provide advice on debt 

resolution and financial literacy, helping clients to reduce repayments to their creditors and to save for emergencies. 

The aim is to help clients take control of their finances and give them the confidence to make informed financial 

choices in the future. On average, personal debt seen by debt counsellors in Tower Hamlets is around £16,000 and 

four-fifths of clients in debt are in receipt of benefits. One person receiving debt counselling from Toynbee Hall owes 

more than £90,000. Approximately 90 clients have been seen since the clinic launched in 2007. 

The project has gone from strength to strength this year. The following people have volunteered at Toynbee Hall in 

the last 12 months: tricia Beckford, Pamela Chambers, Cerry Darbon, Justine Deighan, Richard Griffiths, 

Lyn Hanson, sarah Juniper, sairah Khan, seema Kukreja, Jennifer Maskell, John Morris, Abdul Muith, 

Kevin O'sullivan, Julie Patel, John Pavey, Caroline Pellow, Paul Phelps, Charles Phillip, Paul Regan, 

neil spellings, Liz tippins, stella torgbor and Paula Wilson. 

The following people are currently receiving debt advice training to become advisors: Matthew Billing, 

nesa Ghadiri-Zare, natalie Gillam, Dylan Matthews, thomas Mosher, sandra nsia-Boachie, 

sheila Quansah-solomon, timothy senior and Victoria sharpe. 

eAst LOnDOn BUsIness ALLIAnCe (eLBA) 

The London officeʼs work in the East End includes the provision of pro bono legal advice for organisations such as 

the East London Business Alliance (ELBA). ELBA brings time, skills, influence and resources from the private sector 

to help build the capacity of local organisations and regeneration programmes in East London, primarily in Tower 

Hamlets, Hackney and the Thames Gateway. ELBA works in partnership with key stakeholders in each borough to 

identify needs and issues and to determine the most useful ways in which the private sector can help. The needs of 

small businesses in the area are many, and include accounting, finance, IT, strategy, management and legal advice, 

all of which are available on the doorstep of the City of London. 

Many London lawyers and support staff have advised on projects referred to the London office by ELBA. They 

include: Gergana Avramova, Wingmen Chung, spencer Collins, Angelene Galway, sarah Henchoz, 

Jonathan Kirsop, Adam Leadercramer, Mark Mansell, Anne Pages, Alan Paul, Colin Pearson, Mark Ridgway, 

Lucy twomey and Louise Williams. 

Greg Brown (partner, Banking) sits on the Tower Hamlets Board of ELBA. 

Legal seminar programme 

Building on the success of the one-off seminars for community clients undertaken in previous years by lawyers in our 

IP, Employment & Benefits and Tax teams, this year we set up a rolling seminar programme with ELBA to present a 

range of pro bono seminars to small charities and community organisations referred to us by ELBA. Working closely 



with David Jabbari (associate director, Global Know How), Rachel Kull and her colleagues in Central Education 

& Training, lawyers from our Employment & Benefits, IP, Private Client, Real Estate and Tax teams took part in the 

seminar programme which ran from November 2007 to April 2008. 

The seminars offered introductions to areas of law commonly encountered by small organisations, such as employment 

rights, IP rights, commercial leases and charity law questions. The aim was to share essential legal knowledge with a 

number of community clients at once to help prevent costly legal crises occurring for them in the future. 

The seminars were a fantastic opportunity for our lawyers to plan presentations and practise presenting in an 

informal environment to small audiences. Feedback from both the clients and lawyers who took part was excellent 

and the seminars appear to have been an enjoyable and informative experience for everyone involved. Next yearʼs 

seminar programme is already in the design stages. 

The lawyers who gave their time and expertise to the seminars were: Catherine Antcliffe, Victoria Broadbent, 

Robert Bulling, James Burton, Kathryn Carlile, Wingmen Chung, sarah Henchoz, Oliver Jones, Lydia Kinley, 

naomi Leach, Jennifer Lovell, Peter Mendham, Catriona smith, emma trinick, David Williams and 

Jonathan Wolinsky. 

IP email Advice Line 

The London office helps ELBA to run an Intellectual Property Helpline for voluntary and community organisations. 

Many of these organisations have creative and innovative business ideas but no knowledge of how to protect them 

and no money to pay for specialist legal advice. The advice line is a way to address that as and when queries arise. 

All associates in IP Litigation and CO2 are on the email advice line rota. terri Wipperman manages the scheme at A&O. 

Some examples of matters referred to us via the Advice Line include: 

n Adam Leadercramer drafted a confidentiality agreement for the Shoreditch Trust, a charitable regeneration agency; 

n Gergana Avramova and Louise Williams advised the South Kingsland Youth Partnership, a small charity 

working with young people in Hackney, on how to protect their IP and develop their trademark; 

n Wingmen Chung advised an educational charity called cSPACE, based at the University of East 

London which works with young people in Newham. cSPACE uses the visual arts, media and cyberspace to 

support local communities, children and young people in the expression of their visions, dreams and aspirations 

around issues of regeneration. The charity had IP queries affecting two of their main projects – The Young 

Person’s Guide to East London and an educational resource called VOLCO for use in primary and secondary 

schools. They needed advice around how to protect and share their IP. 

Business on Board 

Business on Board is a scheme run by ELBA. There is a real need from community organisations for highly skilled 

volunteers to join their management committees. There are numerous roles a volunteer can take up, for example, 

chair, vice-chair, treasurer, sub-committee member (usually personnel and finance) or a general committee member. 

The frequency of meetings varies from monthly to a quarterly basis. This is a hugely rewarding experience for the 

volunteer as they can help focus the strategic direction of an organisation and have a huge impact on the efficiency 

and work of the charity. 

The following people volunteer through Business on Board: Dominique Ashby, Yasmine Bassili, Caroline Brown, 

Greg Brown, Liz Brownsell, David Campbell, Mark Carter, Bethan Chatters, Andrew Clark, Brian Dunlop, 

Ian elder, Richard evans, sheila Fahy, Richard Farnhill, Andrew Frasier, Ceris Gardner, Joanna Goodsir, 

Catherine Grum, Andy Jackson, stefka Kavaldjieva, Colleen Keck, Matthew Keegan, stephen Knight, 

Alyson Lockett, Kelly Luker, Ian Mathers, Clare Maurice, James McRobbie, Alan Meneghetti, Jonathan Millard, 

Andria Monin, Victoria Oates, Daniel Oh, Maureen O'neill, sara Pickersgill, Arabella saker, Holly sheffield, 

Graham smith, Joel tashjian, John templeman, simon toms, Richard turnor, Frances Van eupen, 

Mona Vaswani and nicholas Williams. 


Launch of Partnership Project in spitalfields 


In an exciting new initiative launched this year, A&O, together with Deutsche Bank and Hammerson, will be working 

in partnership with ELBA for the next three years to establish a long-term relationship with the community of 

Spitalfields. As project partners, we will learn from, and share, skills, knowledge and experience with businesses and 

community organisations in the local area to assist in the process of regeneration in East London. 

The purpose of the project is to create sustainable links and partnerships between key stakeholders in the Spitalfields 

area, including local businesses and community organisations, the police, the health authority and the council, and the 

three project partners. We will then go on to develop projects using our business resources, time, skills and expertise. 

Activities will be designed to build the capacity of voluntary organisations and services in the Spitalfields area through 

strategic pro bono advice, employee volunteering and also to strengthen small businesses through mentoring, training 

and other support. We hope to enhance the employability of local people through direct support (such as interview 

practice and CV advice) and by supporting local employment initiatives, and by continuing to work closely with local 

Education Business Partnerships to bring added value to local schools through mentoring and careers support. 

For more information on this initiative, please contact Helen Rogers, emma shaw or Kara Fisher. 

BUsIness DeVeLOPMent MentORInG netWORK 

WaterAid 

Allen & Overy has a long-standing relationship with WaterAid, an international charity aiming to overcome poverty by 

enabling the world’s poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. As a result of sharon 

Burrell’s mentoring relationship with the charity’s business development manager, a further ‘Working the Room’ workshop 

has been organised for the corporate fundraising team. Lee Katipunan, Jeremy Metson and Claire savill supported 

Sharon in delivering this training session to enable the fundraisers to develop their networking skills and to maximise the 

opportunities generated by their events. A&O has now trained one quarter of WaterAidʼs fundraising team. 

spitalfields City Farm 

Spitalfields City Farm is located in Tower Hamlets 

and is managed by volunteers. Over 18,000 visitors a 

year are encouraged to handle the animals and learn 

about animal welfare. Jessica Hamilton, Mia Moore 

and Gemma Prescott have been providing support 

by developing templates for publications and 

internal reports. 

enGAGe Branding support 

ENGAGE is an international network of businesses and community organisations which collaborate to bring together 

employees and their communities around the globe. sarah Fitzpatrick has been helping their senior programme 

manager, Maria-Jose Subiela, to develop ENGAGEʼs positioning and brand development. With the help of Allen & 

Overy's Creative Services team, Sarah and Maria-Jose have also aimed to enhance the group's marketing materials. 

A&O has also provided Maria-Jose with support in her personal development, including providing coaching support 

for her from Louise Hamilton, which was organised by Lucy Coyle. 

Design and Printing support 

The Creative Services and Print Room teams have given support to a wide number of small charities and 

organisations over the past year, helping to design and print a variety of materials, allowing these organisations to 

focus their resources on their every day work to meet the needs of the communities they serve. Particular thanks 

goes to Michael Hosannah, Chris Dighton and John Kiggins. 

The Front of House and Mail and Logistics teams have also provided invaluable assistance to the community 

organisations, charities and schools we have worked with over the past year. 



APPenDIX 1 

PRO BOnO AnD COMMUnItY WORK POLICY 

Allen & Overy LLP recognises that as a professional institution, we have a duty to help those in need. We have 

developed a strong and diverse pro bono and community affairs programme, Values into Community Action (the 

"Programme"), which reflects our commitment to this duty. 

Each office in our global network is encouraged to develop projects that respond to the interests, aspirations and 

skills of its staff – and match these with the social needs of the local communities in which we operate. We aim to use 

our time, skills and resources to make a positive impact in these communities. 

This policy sets out the principles which govern pro bono and community work at Allen & Overy. The principles have 

been agreed by Central Management and are in accordance with LawWorks' Joint Protocol for Pro Bono Legal Work 

of which Allen & Overy is a signatory. It is important that staff understand and carry out pro bono and community 

affairs work to the highest standards and according to the principles set out in this policy. 

Pro bono (legal) and community (non legal) work is that which is done, without charge, for individuals, charities and 

non-profit organisations that cannot afford to pay. 

The Programme is designed with internationally agreed themes – access to justice and broadening access to 

education and employment – to draw our offices together as participants in one Programme, and one practice. 

Allen & Overy believes that it has a responsibility to encourage all members of staff to find some time to participate 

in pro bono and community work and we are committed to ensuring that everyone at Allen & Overy who wants to 

participate in the Programme has the opportunity to do so, although we recognise that some staff prefer to engage in 

this work privately, rather than through the Programme. 

We recognise that pro bono and community work: 

n is important to the recruitment, motivation and retention of the best people; 

n helps the professional development of staff; 

n helps attract new business and strengthen relationships with clients; and 

n enhances our reputation. 

How do we take matters on? 

All potential new matters are reviewed by the pro bono contact/committee and must be approved by the pro 

bono partner/director in the appropriate office, to ensure that it is consistent with the aims of our Programme. 

Consideration is given to the expertise, resources and capacity of staff. 

In some of our larger offices we provide pro bono assistance to a range of not-for-profit organisations and charities 

(and in some cases to individuals) that have been referred to us by charity brokers with whom we have established 

partnerships. These organisations work with local communities to identify pro bono/community clients that would be 

appropriate for individual offices and for Allen & Overy. 

All pro bono work undertaken should comply with the following guidelines: 

n work should assist in protecting or establishing some legal or moral right, correct a manifest 

injustice or be in the public or community interest; 

n the individual/group must be unable to afford legal representation; 

n work should match the skills and interest of the lawyers engaged to undertake it; 


n there should be sufficient resource to undertake and complete the work as if it were work for any 

other client; 


n work must not be so dedicated to a religious, political or sectarian point of view that it runs the risk of 

offending significant numbers of people in Allen & Overy; and 

n work must not create a conflict of interest with existing clients or be contrary to Allen & Overyʼs 

business planning. 

standard of Care 

Allen & Overy is a signatory to the LawWorksʼ Joint Protocol for Pro Bono Legal Work, which states that we will treat 

our pro bono clients with the same due care and diligent service as fee-paying clients. Pro bono work is given the same 

amount of time as an equivalent chargeable matter and the work is prioritised on the basis of urgency. Pro bono work 

taken on by a fee-earner must be supervised in the same way as chargeable work. 

time Policy 

Pro bono and community work should not be undertaken without the prior authorisation of the appropriate pro bono 

partner or partner/manager for whom you work. 

Pro bono and community work is entirely voluntary, and there is no obligation that fee-earners must do this kind of 

work. Partners and managers are expected to create an environment where pro bono and community involvement is 

promoted, credited and rewarded. 

Partners and managers will give credit for any involvement in the Programme. During the performance review process 

up to 25 hours of pro bono and community work will be credited towards fee-earners' billable targets and treated as 

chargeable work in this context. 

In addition to ongoing or ad hoc participation in the Programme, everyone is entitled to one day's paid leave per financial 

year to participate in pro bono or community work for charities approved by Allen & Overy. This is subject to partner/ 

manager approval and the appropriate pro bono contact/committee should also be consulted before any such leave 

is taken. 

Occasionally, more than one day's paid leave may be permitted, for example when you are working with your office's 

charity of the year or another of Allen & Overy's supported charities. This will be subject to approval by the partner or 

manager for whom you work and the pro bono contact/committee, in conjunction with your HR manager. 

Performance review 

The Programme is reviewed through Allen & Overy's YouCount staff survey to ensure that it reflects the aspirations of 

staff, the needs of the community and provides a quality assurance review. 

The performance review forms emphasise the importance of pro bono and community work. Pro bono and community 

work is not compulsory but it is one of several aspects of life at A&O which reflect an individual's true contribution – the 

purpose of its inclusion in the performance review is to encourage, recognise and reward participation. 

Involvement will also be considered when assessing an individual's performance against the competency framework 

and his/her value to the business. It is a Key Success Indicator and will be considered when determining an individual's 

bonus entitlement. 

Participation as a development tool 

The Programme is an important opportunity for our volunteers to gain experience outside of the office environment and 

develop their skills. Appraisers are encouraged to use and suggest volunteering as a tool to: 

n develop client relationship management skills, particularly for junior staff; 

n broaden the knowledge base of staff and develop their technical and communication skills; and 

n develop valuable inter-personal skills such as coaching and mentoring. 



Programme Management 

Each office has its own pro bono and community affairs contact and partner who is responsible for the running of that 

office's programme. In some of our larger offices the programmes are run by a committee, comprising both fee-earners 

and non fee-earners. 

Compliance 

All new pro bono and community projects must be consistent with the aims of the Programme. For example, Allen 

& Overy will not get involved in pro bono work for political organisations, and our rules for checking conflicts, money 

laundering and all local bar association/law society regulations and compliance apply. As with fee-earning work, a letter 

of engagement is sent to pro bono clients defining the scope of our obligations. In some jurisdictions, the availability of 

appropriate publicly funded legal advice or representation is considered before we undertake a pro bono matter. 

Matter Inception and time Recording 

All fee-earner time spent on the Programme is recorded on Carpe Diem and reviewed regularly. Matter inception forms 

should use the non-billable code 9999 and sub-code 66, to reflect that a file is pro bono/community work. File numbers 

for regular pro bono and community clients can be found on the Programme intranet site. 

Charitable Giving 

Each office fundraises for local charities chosen by staff. Further information about the charitable giving policy of the 

London office can be found on the intranet. 

Further information 

Further information about the Programme is available on the Pro Bono page on the Intranet and in a variety of 

publications including the Pro Bono & Community Affairs Annual Report and our brochure, A Sense of Responsibility, 

which can be downloaded from the Allen & Overy internet site or sent to you on request from the Pro Bono & Community 

Affairs team. 

Allen & Overy is committed to developing and expanding the Programme to ensure that it helps those in need, and 

remains challenging, interesting and satisfying for all volunteers across Allen & Overy. If you have any ideas or 

suggestions about the Programme, please share them with the Pro Bono & Community Affairs team. 


APPenDIX 2 

PRO BOnO stAtIstICs 

sUMMARY OF GLOBAL AnD UnIteD KInGDOM PRO BOnO WORK 2006/2007 

Global London 

Pro Bono Hours recorded 55,564 28,175 


Value of Hours £16,592,702 £9,021,855 

Percentage of Fee Earners 

recording pro bono time 

56% of 2,439 Fee-Earners 73% of 1,094 Fee-Earners 

sUMMARY OF GLOBAL PRO BOnO WORK 

Worked Hours % Increase Value of Worked 

2006/2007 2007/2008 Hrs 2007/2008 

Belgium 5,326 5,622 6% £1,579,314 

Czech Republic 135 62 -54% £13,379 

China 241 757 214% £232,743 

France 256 789 208% £322,918 

Germany 596 959 61% £325,293 

Hong Kong 959 1,057 10% £336,632 

Hungary 265 391 47% £100,639 

Italy 343 658 92% £144,239 

Japan 24 769 3131% £208,349 

Luxembourg 2,581 2,885 12% £631,976 

Netherlands 3,533 2,870 -19% £881,802 

Poland 335 530 58% £161,863 

Russian Federation 134 156 17% £40,973 

Singapore 65 145 122% £44,703 

Slovak Republic 205 115 -44% £21,901 

Spain 264 246 -7% £76,176 

Thailand 184 278 51% £74,064 

United Arab 

Emirates 

151 21 -86% £7,281 

United Kingdom 26,640 28,175 6% £9,021,855 

United States 3,619 9,080 151% £2,366,602 

total 45,856 55,564 21% £16,592,702 



sUMMARY OF LOnDOn PRO BOnO WORK 

Worked Hours % Increase Value of Worked 

2006/2007 2007/2008 Hrs 2007/2008 

Banking 3,040 3,402 12% £964,602 

Corporate 4,125 4,123 0% £1,415,376 

Employment 1,396 882 -37% £300,624 

ICM 3,711 5,301 43% £2,101,302 

Litigation 7,172 3,917 -45% £1,320,627 

Private Client 709 721 2% £305,450 

Real Estate 658 863 31% £256,819 

Tax 347 495 43% £174,742 

Other 5,482 8,471 55% £2,182,312 

total 26,640 28,175 6% £9,021,854 

AVeRAGe PRO BOnO HOURs PeR Fee-eARneRs – LOnDOn DePARtMents 

Tax 

Real Estate 

Private Client 

Litigation 

ICM 

Employment 

Corporate 

Banking 

Average Pro Bono Hours Per Fee Earner - United Kingdom Departments 

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0 45.0 

Pro Bono Hours Per Year 


APPenDIX 3 – AWARDs 

2001: 

n The Business in the Community Impact Endorsement Mark – Award for Excellence. 

n The Lawyer Award for Best Pro Bono Activity. 

n The Lord Mayorʼs Dragon Award. 

n Shortlisted for the Whitbread Award for Community Involvement. 

2002: 


n Second place in The Lawyer Award for Best Pro Bono Activity. 

2003: 


n Short-listed for The Lawyer Award for Best Pro Bono Activity. 

n The Lord Mayor's Dragon Award – Local Regeneration. 


n London Business Awards – Commitment to the Community (jointly with School Governor's One-Stop Shop). 

n The Caring Company Award (Hong Kong office). 

2004: 

n The Business in the Community – Collaborative Action Big Tick endorsement with ProHelp. 

n The Lord Mayor's Dragon Award – Local Partnership, Highly Commended. 

n The Asian Pro Bono Legal Award (Hong Kong office). 


2005: 

n The Lord Mayor's Dragon Award – Social Inclusion. 


2006: 

n The Financial Times Innovation Award for our Pro Bono Programme. 

n The Managing Partners Forum Awards for Exceptional Contribution to the Community. 

n The “Concours des Caïus” from Prométhea for contribution to cultural heritage (Belgium offices). 


n The Business in the Community ("BITC") Impact Endorsement Mark – Award for Excellence (London office). 

n Short-listed for the BITC/Merrill Lynch Raising Achievement of Young People. 

n The City of London Employer of the Year Award for our young people's placement programme. 

n Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership Award for our work with schools in London. 

n The BITC, London & South East Cares Awards, Team of the Year, Highly Commended for our homeless 

people's placement programme. 



2007: 

n The Business in the Community Impact Endorsement Mark – Award for Excellence (London office). 

n The IFLR European Award for Best Pro Bono Deal for the BlueOrchard microfinance securitisation. 


n The Business in the Community Silver Jubilee Big Tick. 

n The Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards 2007 – Commended in the Pro Bono/CSR category for our 

introduction of 25 hours billable credit for pro bono work. 

2008: 

n The IFLR Asian Award for Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year. 

n The IFLR European Pro Bono Award for DB Microfinance. 

n The Business in the Community Impact Endorsement Mark – Award for Excellence (London office). 

n The Caring Company Award (Hong Kong office) 

n The FT Sustainable Banking Deal of the Year Award for BlueOrchard microfinance securitisation. 


APPenDIX 4 

GLOBAL PRO BOnO AnD COMMUnItY COntACts 

COUntRY COntACts PARtneR 

Belgium Beatrice Vos Helga Van Peer 

China SH: Louise Ridgwick Richard Kim, 

Julia Zhang 

BJ: Jocelyn Wang, Hua Wei Sun, 

Chenghong Wang, Yanan Zhou 


Peter Thorp, Simon Black, 

Thomas E Jones 

Czech Republic Marcela Hogenova, Denisa Mannova Jane Townsend 

France Anne-Laurence Faroux Jean Claude Rivalland 

Germany Alexander Wuepper, Alexandra Faus Johannes Bruski 

Hong Kong Eric Tse Catherine Husted 

Hungary Balazs Sahin-Toth, Erika Fuszinger Jane Townsend 

Italy Antonella Jannelli Roberto Donnini (Rome), 

Giovanni Gazzaniga (Milan) 

Japan Kaori Nasu, Kyoko Shimoyamada Aled Davies 

Luxembourg Cédric Delahaye Fabian Beullekens 

Netherlands Ryan Kersten Mieke De Vos 

Poland Joanna Sobka Arkadiusz Pedzich 

Russian Federation Ekaterina Gorchakova, 

Natasha Gagarina 

Tony Humphrey 

Singapore Sharon Su-Ling How Kayal Sachi, John Richards, 

Ken Aboud 

Slovak Republic Eva Sednickova Jane Townsend, Hugh Owen 

Spain Julio Alonso, Maribel Gonzalez Eduardo Sebastian De Erice, 

Antonio Vazquez-Guillen 

Thailand Nattaporn Jitwuttikrai Simon Makinson 

United Arab Emirates Rachel Storr Simon Roderick 

United Kingdom Shankari Chandran (maternity cover: 

Louise Zekaria), Helen Rogers 

(maternity cover: Lydia Chesshyre), 

Emma Shaw, Sue Wisbey, 

Michelle Blythe, Rachel Nicholson, 

Terri Wipperman 

Colin Pearson 

United States Emily Campbell, Pat Bencivenga Ken Rivlin 

Allen & Overy LLP 

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In this document Allen & Overy means Allen & Overy LLP and/or its affiliated undertakings. The term partner is used to refer to a member of Allen & Overy LLP or an employee or 

consultant with equivalent standing and qualifications or an individual with equivalent status in one of Allen & Overy LLP’s affiliated undertakings. 

Allen & Overy LLP or an affiliated undertaking has an office in each of: Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bangkok, Beijing, Bratislava, Brussels, Bucharest (associated office), 

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© Allen & Overy 2008. This brochure is for general guidance only. Reliance must not be placed or decisions taken on 

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Values into Community Action - Tyler Foundation

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