Helping to Cultivate and Spread a Culture of Legal Pro Bono in Mexico

Initiated in 2008, New Perimeter continues its work with Mexico Appleseed to assist the organization in creating a sustainable pro bono culture and network in Mexico. This initiative includes three major components:

1) Teaching seminars to law students at the Universidad Panamericana (UP), the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM), Libre de Derecho, UNAM, and UP in Guadalajara: The firm’s US Pro Bono Partner, her staff, and other DLA Piper attorneys have been teaching several short seminars relating to pro bono legal activity at the law schools listed above. New Perimeter reaches close to 300 students during each trip to Mexico.

2) Unaccompanied Alien Children project (UAC): New Perimeter has carried out a two-year investigation examining how the U.S. and Mexican governments treat the thousands of unaccompanied Mexican minors who are apprehended each year as they try to cross the Southwest border. Working with three other law firms -- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and Mayer Brown in the United States, and Juaregui, Navarrete y Nader in Mexico -- a multi-office team of DLA lawyers, paralegals and other staff have researched the underlying facts of this migration pattern and the domestic and international legal regimes that govern the conduct of the two governments in this area; interviewed over 100 unaccompanied minors held in Border Patrol stations and Health & Human Services shelters in the U.S. and in so-called "DIF" (Desarollo Integral del la Familia) shelters along the Mexican side of the border; met with U.S. and Mexican officials and policymakers; and helped to develop Mexico Appleseed's findings and policy recommendations, and draft its comprehensive investigatory report. To read the full report, click here.

3) Assisting the Mexican Pro Bono Network: DLA Piper’s US pro bono team also provides active support to the Mexico Appleseed staff as it develops the Mexican Pro Bono Network.