DLA Piper announces 2012 Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action

NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- DLA Piper, as a participating member of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), established in 2005 by former President Bill Clinton to work with global leaders to address issues such as poverty, health, education and the environment, pledged its Commitment to Action to supporting legal education in East Africa and the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative (DCPNI). A Commitment to Action is a concrete plan from CGI members to address a major global challenge.

Lee Miller, joint chief executive officer of DLA Piper, was selected to announce one of the firm's commitments, A Firm Commitment: Supporting Legal Education in East Africa, at the CGI 2012 Annual Meeting, which will take place September 23-25.

Through New Perimeter, a nonprofit organization established by DLA Piper in 2005, the firm will focus and deepen its commitment in the sub-Saharan Africa region, where New Perimeter has supported legal education since the organization's inception.

Advancing Education's Promise, one of DLA Piper's US pro bono signature projects, brings together the firm's collective education work with Promise Neighborhoods, Head Start programs, special education and family, child and nonprofit support under a single program. The firm has worked with Promise Neighborhoods since 2010 and, as part of its CGI Commitment to Action, will create a legal services clinic in the Kenilworth-Parkside neighborhood of Washington, DC, to provide information sessions, advice, referral and direct representation to the community on issues such as domestic violence, landlord/tenant, consumer and family law, among other issues.

"It's a great honor to be a part of the Clinton Global Initiative, an organization whose mission to bring together a community of global leaders to forge solutions to the world's most pressing challenges aligns perfectly with DLA Piper's strong commitment to pro bono service, a core mission of the firm," said Miller.

"Participating in the Clinton Global Initiative is an important milestone in the continued growth and evolution of our pro bono program," said Elizabeth Dewey, director of New Perimeter and US pro bono partner for DLA Piper. "We're looking forward to expanding our New Perimeter and domestic signature projects via this program."

New Perimeter was established to provide pro bono legal assistance primarily in developing and post-conflict regions. Its mission is to provide long-term, high-impact pro bono legal support to qualifying nonprofit organizations, governments and academic institutions. New Perimeter focuses on projects in such areas as legal education, women and children's rights, access to justice and law reform, environmental protection, economic development and food security.

In the United States, DLA Piper's signature pro bono projects are designed to commit significant resources to tackle systematic issues. These projects aim to develop innovative solutions to vexing social problems, including education, hunger relief, juvenile justice, access to justice, domestic violence and serving veterans.

SOURCE DLA Piper