Ropes & Gray Wins Pro Bono Award for Response to Grenfell Tower Tragedy

In The News
December 8, 2017

Felicity Kirk, who manages Ropes & Gray’s international pro bono work has been honored at the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards 2017 for her work coordinating pro bono legal services for those affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower, a residential tower block in London, which claimed 71 lives and left hundreds homeless.

Ms. Kirk – alongside Rebecca Greenhalgh, pro bono manager at Ashurst - jointly won the Best Contribution by an Individual Award, at a ceremony at the Law Society in London on Dec. 5, for their role in the response to the fire, in June.  Together, they coordinated volunteer lawyers from across London to support the work of North Kensington Law Centre located at the base of Grenfell Tower. They set up advice services, clinics and support networks, and played a key role in deciding where there was a need for assistance and what the most practical pro bono interventions could be. They then recruited a network of London lawyers from more than 30 law firms through the UK Collaborative Plan for Pro Bono to work with the Law Centre helping those affected.

Separately, Ropes & Gray was shortlisted for the Most Effective Pro Bono Partnership Award for its work with the University House Legal Aid Advice Centre to help individuals fairly access disability benefits provisions after these were abruptly terminated.

Rosalyn Nasdor, Ropes & Gray’s Director of Pro Bono Legal Services, said:

“We are extremely proud of the key role that Felicity, and others in our London office, played in responding to this disaster.  We congratulate Felicity and commend all of our lawyers involved for their valuable and ongoing pro bono work they provide to the London community.”