As our Firm has grown, so have our community engagement efforts. In 2017, Dentons' professionals in offices across six continents applied their legal and business skills, passionate commitment and boundless energy to helping others. With more people in more locations than any other law firm in the world, we showed that our ability to support and contribute to communities around the globe is also unmatched.

Brazil

Identifying and nurturing high-potential undergrad and grad students

Over the past few years, our colleagues have performed more than 1,000 hours of pro bono services valued at more than US$370,000. In 2017, a significant portion of that amount—US$75,000, representing more than 200 pro bono hours—went to helping Fundação Estudar (the Study Foundation), a São Paulo-based nonprofit that offers scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students. Recipients are chosen based on their perceived potential to make a difference in the fields of administration, law, economics, engineering, public policy and international relations. The benefit amount can be up to 95 percent of tuition, depending on academic qualifications and financial need.

Seeding a new generation of political leadership and activism

Also in 2017, lawyers in the Bogotá office provided pro bono legal services valued at US$50,000 to Renova, a Brazilian nonprofit created to accelerate a change in political leadership and to facilitate ordinary citizens' ability to access members of the National Congress. Besides performing free legal services for Renova, Dentons provided it, at no charge, access to the Firm's offices and equipment to use as its own until the organization was on a sounder financial footing, an arrangement that went on for several months.

Costa Rica

Making an urban river walk a reality

In San José, Costa Rica, only 5.6 percent of public space is designated for parks, playgrounds, plazas or stadiums. That's about to change. Rutas Naturabanas (Nature-Urban Routes), a Costa Rican NGO/citizen's initiative, has announced that—thanks to the help of a large number of volunteers, Dentons Muñoz among them—construction is set to begin on the first stretch of a 25-kilometer ecological urban pathway that will transform  land along the Torres and María Aguilar Rivers into a natural corridor through the capital city. The goal of this public-private alliance among the central government, the cities of San José and Goicoechea, construction company H. Solís and others is to allow people to walk, bike, run or skate across the city on riverbank paths. Every effort has been made to find the perfect balance between development and sustainability. Lawyers in our San José office have addressed a range of issues in partnership with the Rule of Law Alliance, a local nonprofit created to promote social and economic development through greater awareness and understanding of legal mechanisms and corporate best practices. Land use is one of the largest of these issues; the first kilometer alone required the approval of adjacent landowners that included a nursing home, a college, a butterfly farm, government buildings, a sports center, a zoo, a hydrofarm and a medical device company.

Mexico

Providing work experience to young people with Down syndrome

Colleagues in our Mexico City office continued to work with the Center for Personal and Social Training (CAPYS), which helps children and young people with Down syndrome. We have welcomed some of these young persons to work at our Firm as assistants in administrative matters. The office's relationship with CAPYS goes back three years, before the team, then known as López Velarde, became part of the Dentons family.

Assisting Korean nationals with a variety of legal matters

Lawyers in our Monterrey office have been working closely with the South Korea Consulate to provide pro bono legal services to Korean nationals working in Mexico. Our colleagues there have handled a variety of legal matters, from immigration to repatriation. Dentons partner Gregorio Canales, designated Honorary Consul by the Republic of Korea to look after the affairs of its citizens, has been coordinating this work. Korean investors have a large presence in the Northern industrial states of Mexico.

Panama

Supporting the cultivation of women leaders

Our lawyers in Panama City have provided a variety of legal services to Voces Vitales Panamá, an NGO that identifies, trains and empowers emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs around the globe through mentoring programs, confidence-building training, access to networks and connections and the removal of structural and attitudinal impediments to women's progress.

Perú

Promoting human development and proper social behavior through dance

Our colleagues in the Lima office have also been long-time supporters of the Angels D1 project. Founded over eight years ago by Vania Masías, the preeminent ballet dancer in Peru, Angels D1 are dance studios for street children which are supported by the fees collected at separate private schools that serve wealthier students. Designed to complement traditional school education, it's inspired by the belief that artistic education can generate a change of attitude in at-risk children by facilitating self-awareness, raising self-esteem, enhancing self-discipline and self-motivation, and promoting the development of healthy interpersonal relationships. Partner Julio Gallo, a member of the organization's board of directors, has led a team of corporate lawyers in providing it day-to-day corporate, contractual, labor and tax counsel.