Ropes & Gray Launches New Pro Bono Initiative in London
International law firm Ropes & Gray LLP’s London office has launched a new pro bono initiative with charity partner Ace of Clubs.
Ace of Clubs is a small local charity based in South West London with a primary goal of empowering and supporting the homeless and vulnerable in the surrounding area. The centre in Clapham offers the mostneedy in the area food and friendship, clothing, welfare advice, health care and job search advice, and other support services.
Ropes & Gray prides itself on its commitment to pro bono globally. The firm encourages its attorneys to do a minimum of 20 hours of pro bono work during the year; 2013 saw the firm accrue over 115,000 logged hours on matters ranging from transactional work for not-for-profit organisations to cases for individuals referred by either legal service providers, the court system or the firm’s staff.
The London pro bono team will be led by Matt Cox, finance partner, who will be assisted by Fiona Dodds, head of marketing and communications in London.
Matt Cox commented on the launch:
“We are excited to be launching a coordinated pro bono program in London. We have already been participating in a wide range of pro bono activities in the UK, including working closely with the Nature Conservancy, the International Rescue Commission and LawWorks. We chose to partner with a small charity that would allow all our staff the opportunity to get involved, and not just on legal projects. Ace of Clubs presents opportunities to work in their shop, offer interview and CV advice, cooking, gardening, education, and training, amongst many other things. We look forward to working with them over the coming years.”
David Logan, director of Ace of Clubs, added:
“Partnering with Ropes & Gray presents a fantastic opportunity for us and the individuals that we are trying to help. We pride ourselves on being a family-like community, providing transformative support for those who are homeless, vulnerable and marginalised in our area. We provide not only for the immediate needs of those who find themselves in desperate circumstances, such as food, warmth, shelter and showers, but also provide training and education, help to find employment and health care.”
- Ends –
About Ace of Clubs
Ace of Clubs is a registered charity: Ace of Clubs (Clapham) Charity No: 1055187 Company No: 3080066.
Based in Clapham, London on St. Alphonsus road, the centre offers: food, friendship, clothing, laundry, showers, accommodation advice, welfare advice, Job Centre Plus links, health care, optician services, volunteering, education and training, winter night shelter, and bike repair.
For more information: www.aceofclubs.org.uk
About Ropes & Gray LLP
Ropes & Gray is one of the world’s premier law firms, with more than 1,100 lawyers and legal professionals serving clients in major centres of business, finance, technology and government.
The firm has offices in London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, and has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including private equity, M&A, life sciences, health care, real estate, finance, investment management, hedge funds, tax, intellectual property, litigation, securities litigation, government enforcement, and privacy and data security.