Argentina: Maria Fernanda Mierez receives 2023 IBA Pro Bono Award
INTERNATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION
The recipient of the International Bar Association (IBA) Pro Bono Award for 2023 has been announced as María Fernanda Mierez, Partner at Argentinian law firm Beccar Varela. She is honoured for her 20-year dedication to pro bono legal work, including the co-founding of a pro bono programme within Beccar Varela and the establishment of structures such as the Young Lawyers Pro Bono Network in Argentina, which aims to encourage a new generation of practitioners to get involved with legal aid.
When notified about the award, Ms Mierez remarked: ‘I am very grateful for this recognition. Pro bono work connects us with our career purpose; it is the responsibility of every lawyer to facilitate people’s access to their individual rights, especially the most vulnerable. This award also represents all the pro bono work that the firm has been carrying out for many years, reflecting the values we hold.’
Sponsored by LexisNexis, the annual IBA Pro Bono Award seeks to honour those who have shown outstanding commitment to pro bono work over the course of their career.
Nigel Roberts, VP Global Associations LexisNexis, VP LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, commented: ‘Having an accessible legal remedy is an essential element of the rule of law. Providing pro bono legal assistance to the most vulnerable, is key to ensuring access to justice for so many. María Fernanda Mierez is an inspiration to all lawyers in the field of pro bono and to promoting the rule of law. We are proud to support this award and I offer my sincere congratulations on behalf of LexisNexis.’
Maria Fernanda Mierez joined Beccar Varela a year after earning her law degree in 1996, and after becoming a partner, she co-launched the firm’s pro bono programme in 2001. Beccar Varela received numerous awards in the subsequent years, including in 2021, the Enrique Shaw Award ‘towards business with a human face’ from Argentina’s Association for Christian Business Leaders (Asociacion Cristiana de Dirigentes de Empresa or ACDE) and Latin Lawyer’s regional Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year (2022). Last year, the firm invested a total of 5461 pro bono hours, an average of 34 hours per lawyer.
Ms Mierez is passionate about helping marginalised communities, and directly engages in causes such as access to microcredit, the prevention of domestic violence and the prevention of violence against children and adolescents.
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