Today we mark World Refugee Day, an international day designated by the United Nations to honor the courage and strength of people who have had to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.

As part of our commitment to making a positive impact on the community and ensuring access to justice for vulnerable communities, Dentons has long supported the human rights of refugees through pro bono legal advice, and we will continue to do so. We also provide emergency financial aid to children and families in need through our registered charitable foundation, the Dentons Europe Foundation.

Pro bono

Dentons is currently active in four different collaborative projects across Europe that focus directly on facilitating access to justice for asylum seekers and refugees:

• Greece Pro Bono Collaborative with European Lawyers in Lesvos (ELIL) (Since 2019)
• Dutch Pro Bono Collaborative with the Dutch Council for Refugees (Since 2022)
• Italian Pro Bono Collaborative for Afghan Refugees with CILD (Since 2022)
• German Pro Bono Collaborative for Afghan refugees with the IRC (International Rescue Committee) (Since 2022)

For each of these projects, we have partnered with other law firms and a local NGO to provide pro bono assistance to refugees and asylum seekers. Our support includes performing legal analyses of asylum seekers’ case files to help strengthen their application, carrying out legal research, preparing asylum seekers for their interview, and assisting with family reunification applications. 

In addition, in Poland, our lawyers are representing a group of 32 Afghan refugees in the asylum proceedings and claims for illegal pushbacks that took place during the 2021 crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border. Likewise, they are representing a group of Syrian refugees in the European Court of Human Rights for illegal pushbacks and personal harm claims.  The Warsaw team also represents Fundacja Ocalenie in proceedings against border guards for alleged crimes against the refugees, and an ARTE TV journalist in detention proceedings for breaching the restricted zone in the border area. 

Emergency relief for Ukrainian refugees

To provide humanitarian relief to Ukrainian people displaced by war, Dentons is providing a wide range of pro bono work to support NGOs which are helping with the large influx of refugees in the neighboring countries. Our people are also active in personal volunteering – for example by driving refugees from the border, assisting with accommodation, and collecting clothes, household necessities and medical supplies.

Through the Dentons Europe Foundation, Dentons offices and people have raised close to €500,000 to provide emergency relief to families and children displaced by war. The Dentons Europe Foundation has given donations to 21 NGOs in eight different countries, which are providing emergency humanitarian aid to Ukrainian families and children impacted by the war. This includes accommodation, food, clothes and other basic necessities of life, medical and psychological care, childcare and schooling, and other emergency aid.

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