Summary

DLA Piper’s New Perimeter marks twenty years advancing access to justice, strengthening pro bono in Mexico, and training government lawyers to negotiate fairer contracts.

Speakers

Claire Donse — Pro Bono Partner, co leads New Perimeter; focuses on long term, globally coordinated access to justice initiatives.
Sara Andrews — Co Director, New Perimeter; Senior International Pro Bono Counsel, Boston, advancing strategy and global project delivery.
Maru Cortazar — Executive Director, Mexico Appleseed, leading nationwide pro bono institutionalization and multi stakeholder alliances.
Lisa Dewey — Pro Bono Partner, US; former Director of New Perimeter (2011–2021); long standing leadership in access to justice programs.
Vivienne Yeda — General Counsel and Director, Africa Finance Corporation; collaborator on regional public sector negotiation training.
Jay Finkelstein — Corporate transactional partner (of counsel); teaches negotiation and drafting; co leads experiential training methodology.

Key Takeaways

New Perimeter turns twenty, reflecting sustained, global pro bono impact and long term partnerships.
Mexico collaboration: With Maru Cortazar and Mexico Appleseed, the team helped formalize and scale a national pro bono culture and network.
Disaster relief brigades: Partners are building a legal disaster response model with Universidad Panamericana to deliver post crisis legal aid.
Government negotiations training (Africa and beyond): Experiential programs strengthen public sector lawyers’ skills to secure fairer contracts in complex sectors.
Scale by the numbers: 1,600 lawyers from over 90 offices, 300+ projects in 55+ countries, training 20,000+ students and lawyers.

FAQs

What is New Perimeter? DLA Piper’s nonprofit affiliate providing long term, global pro bono assistance to advance justice and strengthen institutions.
What topics does this episode cover? Building a pro bono ecosystem in Mexico, creating disaster legal brigades, and training government lawyers for complex negotiations.
Who are the speakers? Claire Donse, Sara Andrews, Maru Cortazar, Lisa Dewey, Vivienne Yeda, and Jay Finkelstein.
How does the Mexico collaboration work? Through multi year engagement with Mexico Appleseed and universities to formalize pro bono and expand access to justice.
What is the government negotiations training? An experiential, simulation based program that builds public sector legal capacity on cross border transactions and natural resources agreements.
Who benefits from these initiatives? Law students, lawyers, and public sector counsel, as well as communities that rely on stronger legal systems and fairer contracts.
How can organizations collaborate? By partnering on legal education, capacity building, and pro bono projects aligned to access to justice goals.

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