Ugandan law firm nominated for prestigious global award
KAMPALA- A Uganda law firm is among the final three law firms across the world, competing for the forthcoming prestigious TrustLaw Awards 2018 for providing impactful pro bono work in Jinja District.
Onyango & Co. Advocates, the only African law firm that has made it to the final three firms for the Impact Award category, is competing with two Europe-based law firms
They are; Latham & Watkins and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
The Impact Award recognises projects that demonstrate significant impact for a non- governmental organizations or social enterprise on their community and beyond.
The award ceremony organised by Thomson Reuters Foundation, will take place September 26, in New York.
Onyango & Co. Advocates were selected after it provided pro bono services to Rape Hurts Foundation, a non-governmental organisation located in the Eastern District of Jinja.
The law firm according to the website, of TrustLaw, Onyango & Co. Advocates helped the NGO in drafting children’s protection and safe guiding policy for their staff and volunteers.
“The legal assistance not only led to decrease instances of abuse but created a ripple effect of impact throughout their community.” the website states why Onyango & Co. Advocates made it to last three law firms.
Ms Miriam Babirye Kaggwa, one of the managing partners of Onyango & Co. Advocates said the nomination is timely.
"The nomination is timely recognition of the firm's work which has seen it evolving from largely a human rights and criminal into a vibrate commercial and corporate firm." Ms Kaggwa said on Monday.
Rape Hurts Foundation works with marginalised groups of people, especially rural women and children in Uganda.
Registered in 2008, the organisation mainly supports girls and women who have been victims of rape and other sexual violence related incidences.
Onyango & Co. Advocates becomes the first Ugandan and African law firm to make it to the final three law firms competing for this award.
The other competitor in the race for the award is Latham & Watkins for having conducted research on behalf of Save the Children UK in the area of reunification of unaccompanied refugee children, which is an important issue for Save the Children UK.
On the other hand, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, was selected for giving assistance to Refugee Council, a charity that works with refuges and people seeking for asylum in the UK on the effective use of body cameras by welfare officers in refugee camps.
