Escaping the Holiday Rush with Pro Bono Work in Nepal

Would you like to go to Nepal for a week to provide training to female lawyers in Kathmandu?' the New Perimeter request for applications asked. 'And as an additional bonus, would you also like to avoid the mad Christmas rush and Mariah Carey being played on a loop?' Perhaps I'm not quite remembering it correctly…in any case, it was clear this was an opportunity not to be missed.

The programme, being organised for the fourth time by New Perimeter and Women Lawyers Joining Hands in association with the Nepal Bar Association and the United National Development Programme, was to be a week long training course, in Kathmandu, aimed specifically at female lawyers. I was joined on the trip by DLA Piper colleagues from  offices around the world who all contributed significant time and expertise to the project, both in the months prior and during the week in Nepal: Lisa Dewey (Partner, Washington DC), Leeanne Mancari (Of Counsel, Los Angeles), Colleen McElroy (Associate, Los Angeles), Robbin Itkin (Partner, Los Angeles), Asha Natarajan (Associate, New York), Kristin Franceschi (Partner, Baltimore), Andrew Valentine (Partner, Palo Alto) and Tori Lethaby (Legal Director, Leeds).

Only a few of us had met prior to the trip, so arriving a day early meant that we could fit in a decent amount of team bonding whilst on a day trip to some of the top tourist sites in Kathmandu. While we got to know each other, the day also allowed us to combat the inevitable jetlag. We found Kathmandu to be a bustling city full of history and incredibly friendly and welcoming people.

The program began on our second day in Kathmandu. The afternoon opening session gave us an opportunity to meet Sheri Meyerhoffer and Beth Symes from Women Lawyers Joining Hands and to be introduced to our national co-trainers from the Nepal Bar Association and the United Nations Development Programme.  These co-trainers  would be assisting us and providing national expertise on the training topics to be covered over the course of the week. We spent time reviewing materials, planning  timetables and ironing out queries about national and international practice, and were then treated to an opening dinner with all the trainers and organisers. During the dinner, some of us learnt a hard lesson about dipping samosas into unidentified sauces – we  were left guzzling water and holding back tears due to the amount of well-concealed chilli, whilst trying to make polite introductions with the Nepal Bar Association (ok, that was just me).  Nevertheless, everyone  left that evening excited to kick off the training the following morning.

The training week was exhausting but incredibly rewarding. The DLA Piper team taught on company and contract law, professional responsibility and legal ethics, intellectual property and technology, business and professional development and alternative dispute resolution and negotiation skills. We  focused especially on practical examples and hypothetical scenarios. We were lucky to have a group of women lawyers who were enthusiastic, keen to contribute, ask questions and get involved in the interactive sessions and activities we had planned to support our training. The welcome every day from the female lawyers was incredibly warm and many of the breaks between training sessions were filled with traditional singing and dancing, including some national trainers too!

By the end of the week, having heard the stories and backgrounds of the participants, it was clear to all of us that the women taking part had overcome considerable challenges and  adversity, in part because of their gender, to be where they are today.  Through their careers, they have sought to overcome prejudice and establish  female lawyers as equal players in the legal industry. While our training focused on technical and practical skills, many of the women noted that the sessions on building their personal brand and professional development were particularly useful in helping them to carve out their career paths and professional identity.  It quickly became clear that many women were fulfilling one of their key goals ,set in the first session: to gain more confidence in themselves!

The week went very smoothly, helped in no small way by our Nepali coordinator for the week, Pooja Pyakurel from Women Lawyers Joining Hands. In addition to organizing the program, she was particularly helpful when it came to seeking out the right places to buy traditional dress for the closing ceremony and in directing us to the best places to shop for gifts. The closing ceremony was a fantastic opportunity to thank everyone who had made the week a success and to congratulate the female lawyers for their participation. The evening was filled with selfies and, for the DLA Piper trainers, and opportunity to enjoy donning sarees (with much assistance!) and kurtas (traditional dress in Nepal).

The success of the week was due to the incredible, coordinated efforts of a huge group of people, especially  the enthusiastic group of the female lawyers who took part, and I believe I speak for the DLA Piper team when I say we felt extremely lucky to have been provided with such a great opportunity to work with such inspiring women.