The New Perimeter blog is a virtual journal for DLA Piper lawyers who work on legal pro bono projects of vital importance around the globe. Here you will find their stories and photos, along with news about the New Perimeter initiative.
Posted on 6 January 2012 by Sarah Salmond, Senior Consultant | Comments
“Creating a thriving economy is never easy in Africa - insufficient investment, poor infrastructure, cumbersome logistics, red tape and corruption are all constant challenges.”
That’s what one frustrated student told my New Perimeter colleagues, Claire, Martin, Aline, Christine, and me on our first day of teaching a one-week LLM course on Special Economic Zones (SEZs) at the University of Pretoria last month.
Posted on 2 December 2011 by Jenny Lloyd (Austin) | Comments
Two lovely October days found me back in Mexico City working on New Perimeter’s project with Mexico Appleseed. Mexico Appleseed has joined hands with the most prestigious universities and law schools in Mexico City to teach law students the importance of using their legal skills and education to help others. With the assistance of New Perimeter as well as several of the prominent lawyers and general counsel who serve on their Board of Directors, Mexico Appleseed is doing great work to improve access to justice and encourage a culture of pro bono among future lawyers in Mexico. These are the keys for increasing the availability of legal services to needy communities.
Posted on 12 October 2011 by New Perimeter Team | Comments
On September 27-29, 2011 an international team of lawyers provided a three-day legal skills training to staff at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), South Africa’s national human rights institution. The New Perimeter team included: Christine Jesseman, Khaya Mantengu, Deshni Naidoo and Matthew Ward (DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, Johannesburg); Daniel Creasey (DLA Piper, Melbourne), Silvia Farre (DLA Piper, London), and Sara Andrews and Joshua Sohn (DLA Piper, New York). The training took place at the SAHRC’s headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa and was provided to approximately 30 legal services staff members.
Posted on 27 September 2011 by Omar Riojas (Seattle) | Comments
If you’d asked me in law school whether I would one day have the opportunity and privilege to teach at Mexico’s most prestigious law schools to some of Mexico’s most talented students, I would have answered “no” … emphatically! But here I was in Mexico as a part of DLA Piper’s New Perimeter project to assist in creating a sustainable pro bono culture and network in Mexico. It was an unforgettable experience. To be a quasi law professor for a couple of days, to be an ambassador of DLA Piper and, more importantly, to be an ambassador of the American tradition of pro bono service, have been highlights in my legal career.
Posted on 17 August 2011 by Sharif Touray (New York) | Comments
It is amazing how great a part of human progress owes its origin to the simplest of ideas. That even the poorest of the poor can learn to transform their lives by setting aside a little something from their meager incomes sounded heretical until I saw the idea in full bloom in Rwanda earlier this year
