Join us on Wednesday, April 1st for a special panel discussion and evening reception sponsored by: Appleseed and the Embassy of Mexico Click on the links below for further information:      ♦ Register Now!      ♦ Panel Discussion      ♦ Evening Reception      ♦ Project History

PANEL DISCUSSION ~ 

Wednesday, April 1, 2009
9:30 am – 12:30 pm (Lunch will be available)
American University Washington College of Law
4801 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Room 603

In honor of Mexico Appleseed's commitment to fostering a pro bono culture in Mexico, and as a means to raise awareness of the importance of pro bono legal assistance to the development of societies, Appleseed is convening a panel of distinguished experts to discuss relevant issues. The schedule will be as follows:

9:30 - 9:45	Opening Remarks
9:45 - 10:45	Panel I: Overview of Pro Bono Efforts in the U.S., Mexico and Latin America
	Moderators:
	Eric Koenig, Retired, Microsoft Corporation
	Robert E. Herzstein, Of Counsel, Miller & Chevalier
	Panelists
	Elliott Milstein, Professor of Law, Washington College of Law
	Macarena Saez, Intl. Programs Coordinator, Washington College of Law
	Antonia Stolper, Partner, Shearman and Sterling, Cyrus Vance Center
10:45 - 11:45	Panel II: Next Steps, Lessons Learned, and How Pro Bono Can Help Social Development in Mexico
	Moderator:
	Betsy Cavendish, Executive Director, Appleseed
	Panelists:
	Maru Cortazar, Executive Director, Mexico Appleseed
	Lisa Dewey, Pro Bono Partner, DLA Piper
	Scott Rechler, Manager, Fellow Security Program, ASHOKA
	Alexis E. Rovzar, Partner in the Latin America Practice, White & Case
11:45 - 12:15	Question and Answer Session

 

The discussion will be followed by lunch at 12:30. To register, please click here.

 

 RECEPTION ~

Who:	Appleseed and the Embassy of Mexico
When:	April 1, 2009, 6 pm
Where:	Mexican Cultural Institute (Instituto Cultural de Mexico)  2829 16th Street, NW  Washington, DC 20009

The cost is $50.00 per person. For more questions and/or to RSVP, please contact Nakia Kelly at 202.347.7960; 202.347.7961 (fax) or nkelly@appleseednetwork.org. Please make checks payable to Appleseed and send to 727 15th Street, NW, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20005. This donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

 

PROJECT HISTORY ~

In 2002, Appleseed’s Board of Directors decided to initiate operations for the first time outside the United States and chose Mexico as the country to expand the scope of its international mission, given its important relationship as a neighbor. Our Appleseed affiliate in Mexico started in 2003 with the mission to offer legal talent, freely available to those sectors and social issues that are essential to the collective interest, free of ideology or political affiliation, for the sole purpose of maximizing the common good.

Mexico Appleseed’s commitment to spreading the spirit of pro bono goes beyond exhortations; it involves actively engaging the bar, law firms and individuals in projects conducive to structural reform and the development of a robust nonprofit sector.

To date, Mexico Appleseed’s principal focus has been the establishment of the “Mexican Pro Bono Network,” a network of lawyers, firms, and corporations who provide pro bono legal support to projects of high societal importance. Mexico Appleseed strives to ensure that this network of pro bono volunteers is leveraged to support the development of community and civil society organizations, while at the same time offering methods for operationalizing the pro bono commitment within Mexican firms.