Twenty-eight colleagues from DLA Piper Australia and New Zealand are set to embark on a 48-kilometre “cliff-hugging trek” at the Three Capes Track in Tasmania to help raise money for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency.

This support comes after the announcement of the partnership between the BigLaw firm and the UN Refugee Agency in July 2022. The partnership aims to “develop innovative responses to the global refugee crisis, enhance refugee integration and advocate for impactful, systemic change”.

So far, DLA Piper has raised over $200,000, which will help contribute to the UN Refugee Agency’s efforts to provide shelter, food, water, and medical care to refugees around the world.

Nicolas Patrick, the head of responsible business for DLA Piper, underscored the importance of lawyers allocating time to participate in meaningful volunteer initiatives despite their demanding professional commitments.

“These experiences connect us to the community and open up space to talk about complex challenges, like the unprecedented levels of human displacement. The fundraising component supports vulnerable people and raises awareness of the link between climate change and human displacement, which is particularly relevant in this region.

“It also connects us with colleagues from other offices and other areas of the business and promotes health and wellbeing – reminding everyone that it’s OK to be away from your desk and getting some physical exercise,” Patrick said.

In the first three years of their partnership, DLA Piper was projected to “provide pro bono support worth over $3.7 million and contribute financially to the agency’s global programmes”.

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Patrick emphasised that their legal team’s participation in the Tasmania expedition aligns with the law firm’s global pro bono commitment.

“Our partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is a critical part of our pro bono mission globally.

“We’re grateful for the time and effort volunteered by our staff. We have a new group of trekkers embarking today and hope to raise more funds as their trek unfolds,” Patrick said.

The BigLaw firm expressed that during 2023, they “provided 6,700 hours in pro bono support for the UNHCR and the vital work they perform in support of displaced peoples around the world”.

With the two organisations having a “long-established relationship” that has lasted over a decade, Patrick conveyed the importance of the firm’s participation in the Tasmanian trek adventure.

“DLA Piper has a global partnership with UNHCR, and we do a lot of pro bono work and fundraising for UNHCR around the world. So, it’s also great to know this event was part of a much larger effort by the business to respond to the challenge of displacement. It is a complex challenge, and it is often politically sensitive,” he said.

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