DLA Piper Canada named a 5-Star Pro Bono Firm by Canadian Lawyer for second year in a row

DLA Piper Canada has once more been recognized as a 5-Star Pro Bono Firm by Canadian Lawyer ‎magazine for 2024.‎

Canadian Lawyer's 5-Star Pro Bono Firms honours Canadian law firms that demonstrate pro bono ‎infrastructure at an institutional level with assessment criteria based on evidence of pro bono ‎infrastructure, count of pro bono time as billable time, cost awards and charitable giving to A2J ‎organizations.‎

DLA Piper has a long-standing and deep commitment to giving back to our communities. This ‎commitment exists at every level in every office within the firm and is ingrained in the firm’s culture. The ‎dedication of our lawyers to our many pro bono initiatives and the leadership they have shown in building ‎meaningful and impactful projects from the ground up is a source of immense pride for the firm. ‎Highlights from our pro bono initiatives include the following programs.‎

Afghanistan Women Judges Resettlement Project‎

The Afghanistan Women Judges Resettlement Project, an ongoing national pro bono project ‎involving ‎the resettling of Afghan women judges to Canada since the Taliban took control. The Project has had ‎over 35 lawyers and articling students involved at varying points in time and we continue to receive ‎inquiries for assistance as the immigration process remains slow for many of ‎the judges.‎  ‎

Black and Indigenous Business Law Clinic

The Clinic provides qualifying Black and Indigenous founders with practical and timely corporate and ‎‎commercial legal advice. The Clinic focuses on common legal issues encountered by entrepreneurs and ‎‎small business owners. The Clinic also runs business law education seminars to help first-time business ‎‎owners understand some of the risks they should keep in mind as they grow their businesses.‎  ‎

Black Lives Matter Canada

We act as pro bono legal advisor to BLM Canada. BLM Canada is a decentralized movement to end anti-‎‎Black ‎racism. Notably, we assisted with the acquisition of a 10,000-square-foot future cultural centre ‎in ‎Toronto, which will house the new site for the ‎Wildseed Centre for Art and Activism.‎  ‎

Tamil Community Centre

We act as legal advisor to the Tamil Community Centre in ‎various capacities since its inception including ‎‎in various ‎pro bono matters., including facilitating government funding for the construction of a new, ‎‎multi-purpose centre in Scarborough, Ontario.‎ ‎