Travers Smith LLP is delighted that the Domestic Abuse Response Alliance (DARA) has won the Pro Bono Initiative of the Year category at The Lawyer Awards 2023. The annual awards celebrate legal excellence presented by law firms, legal teams, and individuals in the UK.
DARA was founded and launched by Travers Smith partner, and Head of Pro Bono, Sam Cottman, in February 2022. It is the largest pro bono project ever assembled to provide end-to-end representation and advocacy support for domestic abuse survivors seeking protective orders against their abusers. The award is shared with the other DARA firms for their work during its first year: Reed Smith, Hogan Lovells, Latham & Watkins, Slaughter and May, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Debevoise & Plimpton, DLA Piper and Eversheds Sutherland.
DARA lawyers have acted for dozens of clients aged 16 – 86 suffering from sexual abuse, physical violence, control, coercion, economic abuse, stalking and harassment, appearing as advocates across the country.
Sam Cottman said: "I am thrilled to see how much DARA has grown since its inception. Our now 300-strong army of lawyers have dedicated a vast amount of time to helping support our clients, who are some of the most vulnerable in society. I would like to extend a huge thank you to LawWorks, NCDV and Beck Fitzgerald for their help in setting up DARA, to the Travers Smith management for their unwavering support and to the brilliant DARA law firms and their lawyers for delivering a life-changing service. I look forward to seeing what we are capable of delivering in our second year as we continue to expand."
Travers Smith has previously won "CSR Innovation" at the Law.com Innovation Awards, "Innovation in Responsible Business" at the FT Innovative Lawyer Awards Europe 2023 and the "ESG Initiative" Award at the Legal Business Awards 2022 in recognition of its work establishing DARA.
