New Perimeter, DLA Piper's nonprofit affiliate that provides long-term pro bono legal assistance in under-served regions around the world, recently partnered with Pfizer and Chibesakunda & Co. to deliver a weeklong training to approximately 100 undergraduate law students at the University of Zambia School of Law (UNZA).
From July 16-20, DLA Piper lawyers and Pfizer in-house counsel from the United States, Australia, Austria, Brazil and New Zealand delivered a five-day seminar focused on writing, research skills and guidance on how to formulate and support a strong legal argument based on a variety of sources, including case law.
This is the sixth year that New Perimeter has provided assistance to UNZA, with the goals of helping to prepare students to succeed in law school, to pass the bar exam and to succeed in future legal practice. New Perimeter has reached more than 500 students over the course of the project.
"Working with the law students at the University of Zambia was inspiring," said Pro Bono Counsel Crystal Doyle. "The UNZA students are determined to make a positive impact in the world and used that same determination to learn everything they possibly could throughout the seminar. By the end of the week, we saw marked improvements in the quality of analysis and writing, and I'm excited to see how the students use their hard-won skills to continue promoting justice, rule of law, and legal services."
One of the law students that participated in the training commented, "I realize that this is an integral part of my legal career, and therefore I plan on using the knowledge and skills that I have obtained from this training to help improve my legal writing skills now as a student and in practice."
"It was exciting for us to partner with DLA Piper's New Perimeter team, Chibesakunda & Co., and UNZA's faculty on this important pro bono project," said Maryana Zubok, Pro Bono Lead for Pfizer's Legal Division." The Pfizer team greatly enjoyed working with the students, all of whom were engaged and eager to learn, and it was personally gratifying for our attorneys to contribute to the professional development of the next generation of lawyers in Zambia. This is another great example of the Pfizer Legal Division's commitment to giving back."
The UNZA School of Law is the country's premier law school. The law program at UNZA begins in the second year a student is at the University, and competition to get into the program is intense.
The DLA Piper team that conducted the trainings in Zambia included partner Tracey Turner(Baltimore); senior associate Melissa Johnston (Auckland); associate Carolin Seifriedsberger (Vienna); and solicitor Chris Lisica (Sydney). Pro bono counsel Crystal Doyle (Chicago) managed the project. The Pfizer team included senior corporate counsel Karen Shen (New York); senior corporate counsel Allison Stein (Chicago); corporate counsel Daniel Healey (New York); and senior legal manager Fernanda Silveira Martins Rebelli (São Paolo).
