Travers Smith is delighted to announce that the Domestic Abuse Response Alliance (DARA) has been awarded the PILnet Local Impact Award. DARA is a multi-firm advocacy alliance and the largest pro bono project ever assembled in this jurisdiction to provide end-to-end representation and advocacy support for domestic abuse survivors seeking protective orders against their abusers.
The PILnet Local Impact Award, voted for by participants of the PILnet Global Forum, recognises the work DARA has done to help victims of domestic abuse in England and Wales. Led by Travers Smith Partner and Head of Pro Bono, Sam Cottman, DARA represents survivors of domestic abuse who are not eligible for legal aid but who cannot afford to pay for private representation.
DARA comprises a special combination of expertise to deliver social justice: legal prowess and manpower from ten of the world's top law firms, governance from LawWorks, clients from the NCDV and FLOWS and specialist family law oversight on every case from Beck Fitzgerald.
The DARA firms are: Travers Smith, Reed Smith, Hogan Lovells, Latham & Watkins, Slaughter and May, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Debevoise & Plimpton, DLA Piper, Eversheds Sutherland and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.
Sam Cottman, Partner and Head of Pro Bono at Travers Smith commented:
"Survivors of domestic abuse are amongst the bravest individuals I have ever met. However, more often than not, they are abandoned when it comes to seeking legal protection in the family courts. To be able to harness the power of 10 leading law firms to represent them is a game-changer. I am hugely grateful to each lawyer at each firm who has given up their time in support of this cause. Together, we stand ready to assist more clients and enable them to obtain the protection they deserve."
