Legal Commentary

I turn the microphone over to LTN news editor Daniel Howley:

Thomson Reuters celebrated its new TrustLaw service Tuesday, with a luncheon and a panel discussion at its New York City headquarters. President and CEO Peter Warwick presided over the program; the panel was moderated by the iconic Arthur Miller, professor at New York University's law school.

The web-based global program is designed to promote and encourage pro bono law efforts, and provide news and information about anti-corruption efforts. It has been running since June, under the leadership of Monique Villa, CEO of Thomson Reuters Foundation, the company's charitable arm. The official launch will be early next month, at the International Bar Association Annual Meeting in Vancouver.

The TrustLaw site features TrustLaw Connect, a platform that helps non-government organizations and "social entrepreneurs" who cannot afford normal legal services more easily connect with legal professionals who are willing to assist them. Another goal is to provide opportunities for lawyers to "engage in high impact pro bono work" that they might not encounter in their day-to-day practices.

The panel focused primarily on how pro bono attorneys can better assist NGOs in offering free legal services, and how TrustLaw fits into that equation. Speakers included Villa; attorney Diana Good; Ann Cotton of the Campaign for Female Education; Jill Kickul of the Stewart Satter Program in Social Entrepreneurship at NYU; and Joan Vermeulen of the New York City Bar's Vance Center for International Justice.

More information on TrustLaw and TrustLaw connect can be found at www.trust.org.

See also, Bob Ambrogi's report.