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Pro Bono Projects - Asia
Regional Development
Attorneys in our Asia office have contributed to projects aimed at developing underprivileged communities. Associates in Beijing have been assisting one of the world's leading independent nonprofit humanitarian relief and development organizations. The firm's involvement has included advising the organization on various aspects of their proposed establishment in China. If the organization is successful, it will become one of the first foreign public fundraising foundations in China.
Bali Relief Efforts
Following the 2002 Bali bombings, Shearman & Sterling began providing pro bono assistance to affected families and victims of the terror attack. One project included the firm's involvement with the Singapore Cricket Club, which lost eight players in the attack and had four more injured. The firm assisted with the establishment of a charity fund that provided medical and financial assistance to the injured rugby players and to the surviving family members of the slain.
International Tribunals
Since 2000, Shearman & Sterling lawyers have provided legal assistance to the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), dedicating over 20,000 hours to the cause. Attorneys from firm offices around the globe collaborate on large research projects. Additionally the firm has organized and led several trial advocacy seminars in Arusha, Tanzania for the staff of the Office of the Prosecutor. The Firm has an externship at the tribunal, sending an attorney to the OTP each month.
Micro-Finance & Development
FINCA, one of the world's leading micro-credit organizations, receives legal advice from our London, Frankfurt, Washington, DC, Paris, San Francisco and New York offices. FINCA operates village banks that provide loans to low-income families and micro-entrepreneurs in Africa, Asia, and South and Central America.
Human Rights
Shearman & Sterling attorneys have assisted with multiple human rights causes including massive, multi-jurisdictional projects. In the past year, attorneys in our New York, London, Washington, DC, Paris, Frankfurt, Menlo Park and Singapore offices assisted the Open Society Justice Initiative to file a legal brief with the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The brief concerned a landmark case involving the development of legal norms concerning racial discrimination and violence. In early July, the Grand Chamber returned a decision affirming in substantial part its first-ever findings of racial discrimination in breach of Article 14 of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Language Assistance
The legal staff in offices in Asia have translated "know-your-rights" handbooks from English into various Asian languages for use by immigrants in the United States.
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