TrustLaw & partners launch guide for NGOs and social enterprises on legal implications of COVID-19 in Argentina

TrustLaw is the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s global pro bono platform. TrustLaw connects high-impact NGOs and social enterprises working to create social and environmental change with the best law firms and corporate legal teams to provide them with free legal assistance.

As the world faces an unprecedented set of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, our global pro bono legal network, TrustLaw, is working closely with our legal partners around the world to increase efforts to provide dedicated and tailored pro bono support to civil society organisations and social enterprises.

Our TrustLaw team based in Buenos Aires partnered with Argentinian local clearinghouse, Comisión Pro Bono del Colegio de Abogados de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, and the pro bono workshop programme of the Law School of the University Torcuato Di Tella, to ensure NGOs and social enterprises in Argentina have the answers they need to mitigate risks and liability and to keep their organisations up and running.

More than 20 lawyers from nine firms and one corporation and 19 university students donated their time and expertise to produce a “Brief Guide for NGOs and social enterprises on the Legal Implications of COVID19 in Argentina”.  The guide covers 26 frequently asked legal questions on COVID-19’s implications on local and foreign donations, contracts, governance, insurance, data protection and privacy, health, public services, and taxes; providing easy to follow advice for NGOs and social enterprises.

Delfina Balestra, Executive Director of the Pro Bono Commission of the City of Buenos Aires Attorneys Association said: “Betting on networking is the best way to face challenges such as the ones posed by COVID-19, and therefore to achieve a greater impact on the actions we take by making a joint effort, as we did with Thomson Reuters Foundation and the University of Torcuato Di Tella. We believe that the experience gained throughout the last 20 years by the Pro Bono Commission in providing legal advice to more than 1000 NGOs can and must be made available to those who support the most vulnerable communities in Argentina.”

María Trevisani Vespa, Coordinator from the University Torcuato Di Tella said: “The co-work between the Pro Bono Commission of the City of Buenos Aires Attorneys Association and the Pro Bono Workshop of the UTDT’s Law School is a priceless experience for students in the final years of their law degrees. This work renewed its importance in the context of an emergency. When analyzing the ways in which our workshop could contribute, we saw the Pro Bono Commission as an obvious partner. The association with TrustLaw, Thomson Reuters Foundation, helped to create this virtuous circle, and the results prove once again what can be achieved through cooperation and joint efforts in the field of law. Once again, students had the opportunity to work with top professionals and engage actively for the purpose of becoming agents of change. This experience provided students with an approach to professional practice and allowed them to experience at first hand the potential of pro bono practice.”

Juliana Catania, Deputy Director of RACI (Argentinian Network of International Cooperation) said: “In times like these, it is essential to work together with every sector of the society to share resources and support those who need it most, with the purpose of finding solutions to the problems affecting us. This guide is a clear example of the possibility to rely on resources which are valuable for organizations in these times since those resources allow us to continue working towards our mission.’”

Alejandra Hoschoian, Legal Manager for Latin America for TrustLaw, said: “With this guide we want to provide guidance to organizations working for public good. We value their work as essential to our society during all times and especially appreciate their efforts in crisis contexts, such as those of this pandemic. We also want to remind non-profit organizations and social enterprises of the value that free legal advice can have to fulfil their missions and joined forces with local pro bono providers to widely disseminate this resource and the legal pro bono services available.”

  

TrustLaw: If your organisation is interested in receiving pro bono legal advice or if you’re a law firm interested in developing your pro bono work, please sign up to TrustLaw membership here.

 

COVID-19 Response: As the world faces an unprecedented set of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Thomson Reuters Foundation is leveraging its unique blend of journalism and legal skills to strengthen the global response. Read more about the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s response here.

TrustLaw y aliados lanzan guía para ONGs y empresas sociales sobre las implicancias legales del COVID-19 en la Argentina

 TrustLaw es la plataforma de pro bono global de la Fundación Thomson Reuters. TrustLaw conecta a las ONGs de alto impacto y a las empresas sociales que trabajan para crear un cambio social y ambiental con las mejores firmas de abogados y equipos legales corporativos para brindarles asistencia legal gratuita.

Mientras que el mundo enfrenta un conjunto de desafíos sin precedentes a causa de la pandemia del COVID-19, las organizaciones sin fines de lucro y empresas sociales están enfrentando enormes desafíos: una alta demanda de sus servicios en momentos de importante incertidumbre financiera y una inmensa presión sobre los recursos disponibles.

 Desde nuestra red legal de pro bono global, TrustLaw, estamos trabajando en estrecha colaboración con nuestros miembros legales de todo el mundo para intensificar nuestros esfuerzos para brindar asesoramiento legal gratuito especializado e individualizado durante estos tiempos difíciles, dado que muchas ONGs están experimentando desafíos parecidos y necesitan respuestas legales similares.

 Mientras que la pandemia se expande en todo el mundo, desde nuestro equipo de TrustLaw ubicado en Buenos Aires se alió con la Comisión Pro Bono del Colegio de Abogados de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires y el taller pro bono de la Escuela de Derecho de la Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, para asegurar que las ONGs y empresas sociales tengan las respuestas que necesitan para mitigar riesgos y su responsabilidad y puedan continuar operando.

 El día 27 de mayo, la Fundación Thomson Reuters, la Comisión Pro Bono del Colegio de Abogados de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires y el taller pro bono de la Escuela de Derecho de la Universidad Torcuato Di Tella lanzaron una “Breve guía para ONGs y empresas sociales sobre las implicancias legales del COVID19 en la Argentina”.

La guía cubre 26 preguntas frecuentes legales sobre las implicancias del COVID19 en las donaciones locales y extranjeras, contratos, gobierno, seguros, protección de datos y privacidad, salud, servicios p&