Latham Honored by the Thomson Reuters Foundation at the 2018 TrustLaw Awards

Latham & Watkins has received the Collaboration Award at the 2018 TrustLaw Awards in recognition of its work on behalf of 28TooMany, a prominent anti-FGM research organization that provides tools and support to those working to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Africa and around the world. The award — recognizing Latham together with 28TooMany, Shearman & Sterling, Reed Smith, Cleary Gottlieb, and other local counsel firms — commends the “highly effective working relationships between legal teams, NGOs, and social enterprises that have dramatically increased the potential impact of projects as a result.”

Counsel JP Sweny and associates Boin Cheong and Charlotte Hagan oversaw 55 lawyers from seven Latham offices in groundbreaking research and analysis of existing legal frameworks on FGM in 28 African countries, the US, and the UK. Latham lawyers led teams from international law firms — as well as local counsel, NGOs, and activists — to produce a comparative guide summarizing the legislation, policies, and charges relating to FGM in 28 African countries. In addition to the guide, 28 detailed country reports were created to support ongoing advocacy efforts on the ground and in front of various African parliaments.

To learn more about the firm’s work on behalf of 28TooMany, watch a short video.

The TrustLaw Awards is an annual ceremony hosted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation to celebrate the groundbreaking pro bono projects undertaken by legal teams working with NGOs and social enterprises around the world. In addition to receiving the Collaboration Award, Latham was also shortlisted for the 2018 Impact Award in recognition of its work with Amnesty International and Save the Children UK on a high-impact project that is currently shaping refugee family reunion law in the UK.