19 April 2010 – Leading international law firm Clifford Chance today launches the first Access to Justice Award, a donation of money and time that will be made to a charitable organisation that promotes access to justice, by the Firm’s funding raising, charity and volunteering arm, the Clifford Chance Foundation.
Nominations for not-for-profit organisations that help individuals, groups or communities preserve or secure their right to the basic necessities of life will be reviewed and selected by a panel of high profile judges and the winner will be given a donation of £50,000 and 500 hours of pro bono volunteering hours over an 18 month period. The judging panel includes:
· Richard Bennett, Group General Counsel, HSBC Holdings plc,
· Malcolm Grant, President and Provost, University College London
· Esther Lardent, President and CEO, Pro Bono Institute
· Zia Mody, Senior Partner, AZB and Partners
· Stuart Popham, Senior Partner, Clifford Chance
· Amy Schulman, General Counsel, Pfizer
· Michael Smyth, Partner and Head of Public Policy, Clifford Chance
· Peter Warwick, CEO, Legal, Thomson Reuters