DLA Piper wins most effective pro bono partnership at the LawWorks awards

The pro bono team at international law firm, DLA Piper has received the award for Most Effective Pro Bono Partnership at the 2021 LawWorks awards. The team was recognised for its work issuing Pre-Action Protocol (PAP) letters on behalf of asylum seekers held in Napier Barracks in the UK.

Working in partnership with specialist civil rights and judicial review firm, Deighton Pierce Glynn (DPG) and NGOs, Care4Calais and Human for Rights Network, DLA Piper lawyers assisted 54 vulnerable individuals at Napier Barracks, who were transferred to safe accommodation.

The project was formed following a consultation with NGOs and stakeholders, which revealed a particular need to challenge the provision of inadequate accommodation for asylum seekers, including in the former disused military barracks at Napier Barracks.

DLA Piper lawyers worked in teams to assist up to eight clients a week, many of whom were victims of torture. Direct evidence from this project was submitted by DPG in a recent High Court case in which Linden J found that the decision to house asylum seekers at Napier Barracks was unlawful.

This work forms part of the firm’s wider commitment to working to protect the rights of refugees, displaced people and those who are stateless, with a particular focus on supporting the most vulnerable groups, including women, children and LGBT+ people.

Senior associate at DLA Piper and manager of the UK pro bono practice Olivia Clark commented: “We are so pleased to be able to work with and support Deighton Pierce Glynn and Human for Rights Network to advocate for the rights of asylum seekers. We hope that this award will serve to highlight the inhuman conditions that asylum seekers are forced to endure in the UK and particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the High Court decision finding the use of the Barracks was unlawful, the government continues to use this facility to house asylum seekers.”

The awards recognise and celebrate achievement in legal pro bono work, undertaken by organisations and individuals, and the commitment of the legal sector in enabling access to justice.

Find out more about this project, watch our video here.