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Providing pro bono advice to Ukraine following Russian invasion

9 May 2022

Withers is providing pro bono advice to Ukraine as part of a legal task force to support accountability for crimes committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

We are proud to be one of the law firms providing pro bono advice to the Government of Ukraine as part of a legal Task Force on Accountability for Crimes Committed in Ukraine to support Ukraine in delivering justice for victims of international crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.

The task force’s work encompasses advice on proposals for accountability including through the United Nations and regional organizations; advice and potential representation relating to civil and criminal cases (including under universal jurisdiction laws) to secure accountability and reparations in national jurisdictions; and strategic guidance on Ukraine’s cooperation with the International Criminal Court.

Other members of the task force include law firms Covington & Burling and Sygna Partners, international human rights lawyers Amal Clooney, Richard Hermer QC, Tim Otty QC and Philippa Webb, as well as the head of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, Baroness Helena Kennedy, and former President of the UK Supreme Court, Lord Neuberger.

The task force is supported by leading academics including Professor Marko Milanovic (University of Reading) and Professor Andrew Clapham (Graduate Institute, Geneva) as well as the Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution at King’s College London, the Clooney Foundation for Justice and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute.

Our team is led by international arbitration partner Emma Lindsay, based in New York, who is working alongside an international team of more than 15 of our lawyers based in the US and UK.

Media coverage of our involvement in the task force has appeared in The Times, Bloomberg BNA, Law.com, Law360, The Impact Lawyers and Global Legal Post.

Media contact: Duncan Miller

This document (and any information accessed through links in this document) is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Professional legal advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from any action as a result of the contents of this document.

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