CASE STUDY
Increasing capacity and reach for Lawyers Without Borders
The mission of Lawyers Without Borders is to advance the global rule of law, build capacity and integrity in the world’s justice sectors, and support transitions and development. The group engages with lawyers and judges dedicated to pro bono service and integrates them into initiatives that directly or indirectly serve the underserved, protect the disadvantaged, and promote human rights.
For nearly 20 years, Thomson Reuters has collaborated with Lawyers Without Borders (LWOB) to provide legal education to those in the developing world. In the early years, support consisted of in-kind publishing for their legal training programs. It has since evolved to include more robust and sustainable programs, including the development support of their e-learning with access to Thomson Reuters online platforms and, most recently, with strategic pro bono consulting support.
Through an introduction from Helen Respass, LWOB applied and participated in their first IMPACTathon.
As a global organization with multifaceted programs spanning a wide range of subject areas, LWOB had challenges explaining what they do and the impact they have. They didn’t know where to start or what to focus on first. We started the IMPACTathon process by scoping a succinct project to provide direction and design a project that would meet their needs. We landed on a Marketing and Communications Strategy Development project and recruited a team of high-caliber talent from our marketing, communications, and human resources teams. LWOB left their session with clarity, functional-area knowledge, a tangible deliverable, and a new long-term relationship with one of their pro bono consultants.
The project was so impactful that the organization jumped at the opportunity to join the 2023 IMPACTathon, this time with a separate opportunity. LWOB was looking to improve its program and project management systems. With that, LWOB was matched with a strong team of cross-functional experts at Thomson Reuters for this year’s IMPACTathon. The pro bono consultant team worked through a complex system of project management options to provide the organization with a recommendation and process for moving forward.
Upon completion of the project, Robin shared grateful remarks about the session and deliverables.
In just two day-long IMPACTathon sessions, Thomson Reuters employees volunteered more than 58 hours, totaling nearly $11,500 in pro bono consulting services. This relatively minor amount of time provided a significant social return on investment (SROI).
As we look to build upon our longstanding support of Lawyers Without Borders in the future, we are proud to reflect on the impact our employees have already had on improving access to justice around the world through volunteering and consulting opportunities with the organization.
Hear directly from Robin and Chris on their IMPACTathon project experiences.
Learn more about our pro bono projects and how Thomson Reuters is progressing on key environmental, social, and governance activities