In late May, a roundtable on pro bono work by lawyers was held at Orrick Tokyo Law Offices1, with JAR participating as a non-profit organization.
Many lawyers and law firms have long partnered with JAR to provide legal assistance to refugees, and Orrick Tokyo Law Office is one of them. The firm’s desire to further promote its pro bono activities led to the launch of this event.
Fifteen international law firms2) participated in the meeting, in addition to the partner non-profit organizations JAR and LEDGE, a group of experts supporting public litigation.
The meeting began with a report from JAR on the importance of legal assistance in the refugee application process and the need for more assistance from lawyers. The report explained the actual results of refugee status, and how there are many people in need of legal assistance who are still not connected to attorneys, and raised a discussion on how cooperation can increase assistance.
LEDGE then spoke about the importance of public litigation in Japan and called for more support from law firms. A lively discussion ensued, with questions and answers on issues and ideas for expanding pro bono activities and how firms can get involved.
The roundtable provided an opportunity to once again experience the enthusiasm of each lawyer. We will continue to work with the lawyers and their firms to ensure that more refugees can receive legal assistance in the future.
Photo: Courtesy of Orrick Tokyo Law Offices
- Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP[↩]
- In addition to Orrick, A&O Shearman; Ashurst; DLA Piper; Herbert Smith Freehills; Hogan Lovells; Latham & Watkins; Linklaters; Morgan Lewis; Morrison & Foerster; Norton Rose Fulbright; O’Melveny; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (as host); Ropes & Gray; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett; and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. (all abbreviated[↩]
