In early 2020, the Meldpunt Discriminatie Regio Amsterdam started a partnership with law firm Allen & Overy in which attorneys from the Amsterdam office provide pro bono legal support for any litigation going to the Human Rights Council (CRM).
For example, Allen & Overy recently supported the Discrimination Hotline for a complaint about pregnancy discrimination. In addition, Allen & Overy provides legal master classes to counselors at the Discrimination Hotline, focusing primarily on equal treatment law.
"We are very pleased with this collaboration," said Vincent Verkoelen, acting director of the Hotline. "Our service to citizens is free of charge and takes many forms. This support from Allen & Overy to our clients increases the likelihood of a case at the CRM and lifts our offering to a higher level." It can also indirectly benefit the CRM through an improvement in case law. Tjarda van der Vijver, attorney at Allen & Overy, on the initiative: "Normally we work mainly for large corporations. It is wonderful to be able to make a difference for individuals through this collaboration and thus contribute to the fight against discrimination."
About Allen & Overy
Allen & Overy is an international law firm with more than 40 offices around the world. Allen & Overy employs approximately 5,500 people, including 550 partners. The Amsterdam office is strongly rooted in the Dutch market with a history dating back to1854. It employs 185 lawyers, (junior) civil law notaries and tax advisers, including 33 partners. Clients include large and medium-sized, mostly listed companies, financial institutions and governments.
The firm has specialists in the fields of corporate law, banking & securities law, competition law, employment law, litigation, administrative law, tax law, real estate law and IP law, among others. The cooperation between specialists, local and international, makes Allen & Overy Amsterdam a recognized market leader in the areas of transactions, financial markets, governance & supervision and litigation.