Legal Bingo and English Lessons in Myanmar

Ours is a profession because we not only tend to our client’s work but also make our communities better, including by providing pro bono services. But, in one of the world’s leading business firms, the question of what is “community” has a broader answer. While I have served locally by doing pro bono work with veterans in Delaware, I jumped at the chance to serve the global community by joining with New Perimeter to speak with local lawyers in Mandalay, Myanmar at the BABSEA CLE 4th annual Asia Pro Bono Conference & Legal Ethics Forum.

From September 3 - 7, 2015, I joined Michael Gill and Catriona Martin (both located in the firm’s Sydney office) in Myanmar as speakers in the annual conference organized by the Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia Community Legal Education Initiative (BABSEA CLE). The theme was “Pro Bono and Ethics Build a Noble Legal Profession.” The conference let regional lawyers learn about pro bono and how to contribute to improved access to justice in Myanmar.  Over 200 people attended the conference, including lawyers, NGOs, law students and government ministers.

During the conference, I presented at three sessions: Implications for law firms working with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; How international law firms and local lawyers can cooperate on local pro bono projects; and How to meet clients and what goes into “trusting” a lawyer. Each session had international lawyers interacting with local lawyers about legal best practices.

One memorable session was BABSEA CLE Legal Bingo where we partnered with a local lawyer to identify concepts in a panel session on a Bingo card. It was a fast paced effort to listen, explain the game of Bingo to someone who had never played and then jump up and shout “Bingo” when the pieces fell into place. Unfortunately, we were not the first to complete our card, but we learned a lot while having fun, which was a theme that permeated the conference.

The highlight, however, was meeting and interacting with people in a country that has been isolated for decades. They were kind and welcoming and excited about what the future holds for them and their country. Our ability to interact and assist in this transition is what makes our firm unique. And, doing so under the New Perimeter flag gives us unique credibility in the global community. Perhaps it was for these reasons that a group of local lawyers, including a few students, asked me to dinner so they could practice English. They even signed me up on a social media application they all use, and I remain in weekly communication with them so they can continue to practice their English and interact socially and professionally.

Myanmar is a beautiful country with wonderful people and our firm should take great pride in helping to ensure that the rule of law and access to justice makes its way into this important part of the world. By doing so, we make our global community stronger and fulfil the core concepts of our profession.