Thomson Reuters partnered with the United Nations and Freedom Now recently to create the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Search database, introduced in a ceremony in Paris earlier this week.
This publicly available database contains more than 650 opinions from the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and will serve as a valuable resource supporting advocacy work and protecting human rights. As the Working Group issues new opinions, we will update the database.
I’m proud to be part of this important work, and I’m delighted to support this effort as part of our ongoing commitment to the rule of law.
You can learn more about the project from the news release.
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that just only 11.6 percent of attorneys in the U.S. are from a population of color. The picture is even less encouraging when you couple that with the recent National Association for Law Placement data that shows that 87 percent of racially or ethnically diverse law firm associates leave by their fifth year.
Organizations such as Diversity in Practice, located in Minneapolis, MN are working hard to change those statistics by supporting and encouraging lawyers of color.
On Oct. 27, 75 minority law students from local law schools will gather to meet their mentors for a 6-month Ambassador program. The kick-off event, which starts at 5 p.m. at the Minneapolis offices of Faegre & Benson, is one of several programs that Diversity in Practice coordinates to fulfill their mission to recruit, retain and promote lawyers of color here in the Twin Cities metro area.
To learn more about the Twin Cities Diversity in Practice organization or to participate in an upcoming event, logon to diversityinpractice.org.
Posted by Sharon Sayles Belton in:
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On June 2, Senator Amy Klobuchar made a stop at the Thomson Reuters campus in Eagan, Minn.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Senator Klobuchar for many years, beginning during my tenure as Mayor of Minneapolis – Senator Klobuchar was serving as the Hennepin County District Attorney at the same time.
Senator Klobuchar met with members of Thomson Reuters’ Government Affairs team, including our General Counsel Deirdre Stanley and SVP & Global Head of Government & Regulatory Affairs Ambassador Paula Dobriansky to discuss current legislative issues that matter to a business like ours. Senator Klobuchar is the only member of the U.S. Senate who sits on both the Judiciary and Commerce committees – two committees that directly impact Thomson Reuters.
You can see by this photo that we are using telepresence technology to hold this meeting. If you’ve never experienced a meeting via telepresence, I highly recommend it. Very innovative technology!
Photo by Adam Lockhart
Senator Klobuchar then participated in a Q&A session with a group of 100 Thomson Reuters employees. Her up-close-and-personal-view of the Supreme Court Justice conferee process was of particular interest to the many legal professionals in the room.
Photo by Adam Lockhart
Photo by Jeannette Appold
It’s important for our elected officials to understand our business and our employees, and based on today’s visit, our employees want to know our elected officials, too.
One more thing … give Senator Klobuchar’s Taconite Tater Tot Hot Dish a try.
Posted by Sharon Sayles Belton in:
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Our Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) business is contributing to TrustLaw – our Foundation’s hub for free legal assistance, news and information on pro bono, anti-corruption and women’s rights – with member screening. GRC’s approach to screening is unique and trusted across the industry. Check out why it was a natural fit with the TrustLaw service.
Thomson Reuters Foundation’s TrustLaw service attracts organizations with limited means that need free legal assistance. This includes NGOs and social entrepreneurs. It helps to bring them together with law firms who can provide pro bono services. Thirteen years ago, the Foundation established very strict criteria to accept members to AlertNet, the first humanitarian news network, in order to protect itself from risk and ensure that we only deal with reputable organizations. It applies the same principles to TrustLaw through a rigorous evaluation of members against our company’s Trust Principles and Code of Conduct.
Now the Foundation also benefits from a new tool to complement this evaluation: the Global Screening online service provided by GRC.
The online service is used by law firms, financial institutions and corporations to screen prospective clients. It’s used to check if they are:
One thing that makes this service unique is it offers ongoing screening. Every night records are checked and alerts are sent to users of the service.
Monique Villa, CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, said: “Thanks to GRC’s excellent screening tool, we are now much more confident that we properly evaluate every member, and are able to monitor organizations on an ongoing basis. This is extremely useful and the tool is so fast that it is just a pleasure to use for our due diligence process.”
Patrick Hinchin, director of global screening in GRC said: “With new regulations coming in the near future, such as the Anti-bribery Act in the UK, we can see an immense opportunity for more businesses around the globe to use this service.”
Posted by Jessica Leibrock in:
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One year later, devastating images, videos and testimonies continue to pour out of Haiti from last year’s earthquake. Many organizations have stepped up to help and the Thomson Reuters Foundation, our company’s charitable arm, is no exception.
Earlier this week the Foundation launched the “Haiti in Focus” campaign which will put our free legal, humanitarian and media services to work for Haiti’s recovery in 2011. A main element of this campaign is the “Rule of Law” project which is committed to fighting sexual violence against women, providing legal training for lawyers and connecting people with pro bono legal services.
Before the earthquake Haiti’s anti-rape laws were only recently enacted and rarely enforced, but since then an epidemic of sexual violence against women has broken out in the tent cities in and around Port-au-Prince.
Watch this sobering video from our Reuters journalists on the prevalence of sexual crimes in the wake of the earth quake. 
With the help of the Foundation’s TrustLaw network of pro bono lawyers around the world the project will help the government strengthen existing anti-rape laws and identify new opportunities for additional legislation to be created.
The Foundation also will work with the Legal Bar Association of Port-au-Prince and our colleagues from the West LegalEdcenter to develop training and education materials for Haitian lawyers so they can continue to improve the rule of law in their country.
There is no question that immediately after the quake many rallied to support the emergency efforts. But it’s clear the need is still very real and it’s paramount that we continue to provide support to the people of Haiti. And for me personally, it makes me proud to work for a company that feels the same.
If you’d like to learn more about the “Haiti in Focus” initiative visit the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s website.
Posted by Jessica Leibrock in:
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Many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and individuals all over the world are in need of free legal assistance and many lawyers are willing to work at no cost to provide it. Yet in many situations, none of the parties are fully aware of how to make that initial connection.
TrustLaw, an organization run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was created as a resource to link lawyers with those in need.
A free webcast of a program centered on TrustLaw and on moving pro bono work worldwide is available on West LegalEdcenter. (more…)
Posted by Anne Lawver in:
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The launch of TrustLaw by the Thomson Reuters Foundation has put legal pro bono work, worldwide, in the spotlight.
This week, TrustLaw and Thomson Reuters, Legal, held an event in Minneapolis that brought together leaders from law firms, courts and law schools, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that can benefit the most from pro bono legal work.
The event, a roundtable discussion on Sept. 21 titled “Pro Bono Trends Around the World,” featured several key figures in the Minneapolis/St. Paul legal and public service community including Doug Johnson of the Center for Victims of Torture; Robert Stein, former dean and currently professor of the University of Minnesota Law School and an attorney at Gray Plant Mooty; and Justice G. Barry Anderson of the Minnesota Supreme Court.
“TrustLaw has three goals,” notes Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO Monique Villa, “Put in contact the lawyers who are ready to work on a pro bono basis with NGOs, social entrepreneurs and governments in need of legal advice who cannot afford it. The second and third layer of our website are about news and information and a database of laws and best practices on both pro bono and on anti-corruption and good governance because we think that’s a crucial problem in our times.”
Villa was joined on the discussion panel by Thomson Reuters, Legal, President and CEO Peter Warwick and Sharon Sayles Belton, a former mayor of Minneapolis and now vice president of Government Affairs and Community Relations at Thomson Reuters, Legal.
Representatives of the NGOs who were invited to the Minneapolis event were interested in TrustLaw’s possibilities.
“I think it’s always exciting to talk about pro bono. We’re a volunteer-based organization so it’s always exciting to make the connection with other organizations,” said Jennifer Prestholdt, deputy director of The Advocates for Human Rights. “I was really excited to hear about TrustLaw, because for the human rights organizations that we work with around the world it’s going to be a tremendous resource to be able to put them in contact with (TrustLaw).”
This short video clip features several interviews that we did after the panel discussion, including with Monique Villa, Robin Phillips of The Advocates for Human Rights and Doug Johnson of the Center for Victims of Torture:
Posted by Kevin Hunt in:
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Editor’s note: Guest blogger Jennifer Coleman is a team specialist for Large Law Inside Account Management at Thomson Reuters, Legal.
Just after rain clouds parted, the sounds of the Mississippi River mixed with a lively band at the Nicollet Island Pavilion in Minneapolis on Sept. 2 for the Volunteer Lawyers Network Annual Benefactors’ Pro Bono Picnic.
The cocktail hour, which featured treats like fresh popcorn and grilled goods, was followed by the gathering of supporters for the dinner program. Tables were sponsored by many local law firms and businesses, including Thomson Reuters, as employees attended to help support the Volunteer Lawyers Network (VLN) and its exceptional impact on our community. (more…)
Posted by Jennifer Coleman in:
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We’re pleased to announce the launch of TrustLaw, the legal arm of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The new service will widen access to the rule of law and promote greater transparency, empowering people with trusted information and free legal assistance.
Monique Villa, CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, said : “The Thomson Reuters Foundation has set itself an ambitious goal: to create a truly international new marketplace connecting those in need of free legal assistance with those able to provide it – anywhere in the world.”
TrustLaw will serve as a global online resource for anti-corruption and good governance, and brings together a repository of information, advice and best practice, along with agenda-setting material from the Foundation’s expert editorial team.
With the help of a unique new platform, TrustLaw Connect, social entrepreneurs, NGOs and government agencies will be able to readily access pro bono legal support from lawyers anywhere in the world – for free.
More than 190 organizations working in over 140 countries have already joined TrustLaw Connect, including more than 60 leading global law firms and 80 NGOs.
Pro bono work is particularly important to the legal businesses of Thomson Reuters, who work to help the legal system perform better – every day, worldwide. In 2009 alone, the company donated more than US$20 million in free Westlaw access for pro bono services.
Read the full news release here.
Posted by Nicole Hansen in:
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Members of the University of Minnesota’s Raptor Center were on the the Eagan, Minn. campus of Thomson Reuters, Legal, yesterday to demonstrate the wonders of wild birds of prey as part of Green Week activities. The raptor center specializes in the medical care, rehabilitation, conservation, and study of eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons.
But birds of prey aren’t the only feathered friends on the Eagan campus these days.
Two dozen wooden bird houses, four wood duck houses and three chimney swift towers (like the one above) were constructed by employee volunteers as part of the company’s Green Team efforts. The Eagan campus now has more than 40 birdhouses available for these migrating birds.
Watch Legal Current for more information about other Green Team efforts at the Legal headquarters this week including restoring a 10-acre prairie and planting a community garden.
Posted by Nicole Hansen in:
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The U.S. Constitution is one of the most powerful and impactful documents in existence. It literally touches every American’s life, and has since its creation in 1787. Recently, I had the opportunity to view the document first-hand as part of a new exhibit, “We the People: The First Official Printing of the U.S. Constitution,” sponsored [...]
Earlier this week, we released our 2011 Annual Report in an interactive format available online at thomsonreuters.com. Along with information on the company’s financial performance as well as business unit overviews, this year’s annual report contains a variety of dynamic content including interviews with our new business leaders as well as stories of how we [...]
We’ve got a great episode for you this month, kicking off with our “Chaos in the Courts” segment that, believe it or not, is yet another story about the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas. Since our March podcast, another person has fallen victim to the establishment’s trademark bypass burger.
Then in our “On the Blawgs” [...]
