Anniversary Reception: 2 Years of the Pro Bono Network for Human Rights

December 2016. This month The Pro Bono Network for Human Rights has turned two! In these past two years ACTEDO has involved Pro Bono Lawyers in solving serious social problems, such as discrimination, the access to education and health of people with disabilities, domestic violence, harassment and forced evictions, to name a few. We would like to thank our Pro Bono Lawyers for their involvement and solidarity!  

We celebrated this event with a reception, attended by lawyers and representatives of the NGOs working with vulnerable groups. During the reception, we had the opportunity to present the main accomplishments of The Pro Bono Network in 2016, to discuss some of the cases, as well as to hand out certificates regarding the European Award for Local Pro Bono Impact to the Pro Bono Lawyers who were present. The prize was awarded jointly to ACTEDO and the lawyers enrolled in The Pro Bono Network, in Amsterdam, in November 2016.

Accomplishments of The Pro Bono Network for Human Rights in 2016

- 77 requests for pro bono legal aid from 19 counties and from abroad (UK, Germany, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand)
- 25 cases deemed eligible for pro bono legal aid and/or representation in court
- 33 beneficiaries have received pro bono legal aid and/or representation in court
- Support given by ACTEDO in the form of information, legal analysis, communication with relevant institutions (embassies, social services, Ministries, etc.) and visibility
- cases from 12 human rights areas: sexual violence, malpractice, parental rights, harassment, harassment at the work place, domestic violence, detention conditions, discrimination based on disability, discrimination based on ethnicity, trafficking in human beings, housing rights, the access to services of people with disabilities.
- 51 Pro Bono Lawyers from 7 counties (CJ, BN, MS, HD, CT, CV, DJ) and Bucharest
- 4 partner law firms: Cluj county - David, Corcheș and Associates; Chiriță and Associates; Costaș, Negru and Associates;  Constanța county - Popescu, Mirăuță, Bucur
- 1 training session for lawyers in human rights, in Bucharest, organized together with the Center for Legal Resources
- 1 report with the project's results, as well as with concrete recommendations on the regulation and encouragement of pro bono lawyering and 14 letters sent to national public institutions
- 1 legal seminar, at the Faculty of Law, Babeș-Bolyai University, held by the legal clinic Juss Buss, from Oslo, in partnership with ACTEDO

The Pro Bono Network for Human Rights has been awarded

# THE EUROPEAN AWARD FOR LOCAL PRO BONO IMPACT, at the European Pro Bono Forum, Amsterdam, 2016.
Your collaboration [between ACTEDO and the Pro Bono Attorneys members of The Pro Bono Network for Human Rights - AN] has been an important pioneering effort in leveraging innovative operational models for public interest law. Its influence will not only be felt in Romania but also across Europe. We hope that this award will not only serve as an acknowledgement of your significant contribution to the pro bono legal sphere, but will also motivate others to follow in your footsteps. It is truly our honor to present the ACTEDO team and its collaborators with this award.  Garth Meintjes, President of PILnet - The Global Network for Public Interest Law

# 3RD PRIZE FOR DEFENDING INDIVIDUAL/ COLLECTIVE RIGHTS, at the Civil Society Gala, Bucharest, 2016.