Supporting strength in sisterhood

A&O Shearman is halfway through its two-year global charity partnership with Women for Women International (WfWI), and tangible results of our involvement are being seen from Iraq to Sudan, Rwanda, Bosnia, Ukraine and beyond.

Colleagues who have visited WfWI projects tell of hearing stories of hope, resilience, perseverance, and triumph against all odds, and of being deeply affected by the women they met.

“There’s something special about the global charity partnership, made even stronger since the formation of A&O Shearman,” says Kate Cavelle, global head of social impact. “The extensive experience of legacy Allen & Overy and legacy Shearman & Sterling coming together to support one organization is enormously powerful.”

WfWI was selected by colleagues as part of our enduring commitment to supporting forcibly displaced people. The charity was also chosen because it reflects the overarching themes for our social impact work: access to justice, social finance, education and employment.

WfWI invests where inequality is greatest, helping women survivors of war and conflict to overcome trauma, rebuild their lives and regain hope. Since 1993, the charity has supported more than 579,000 women across 17 conflict-affected countries, offering vocational training programs designed to equip women with the knowledge, skills and resources to support themselves, their families and their communities for generations to come.

Flexible funding

While funding for the partnership is focused on the work in Iraq, we are also supporting the charity globally through a significant amount of unrestricted funding to create long-term impact to strengthen the organization.

Sara Bowcutt, managing director of WfWI UK, says: “This kind of funding flexibility is so exciting for an organization like ours, allowing us to test and invest in future projects and improve our own infrastructure so we can work most efficiently and effectively.

“We appreciate the trust A&O Shearman gives us to put the funds where they’re needed most, which includes supporting our Conflict Respond Fund, providing urgent support for women in critical conflict situations such as in Ukraine and Sudan.”

WfWI is working with the Sudanese Family Planning Association (SFPA), one of the leading organizations in Sudan providing a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services. Alongside WfWI, a major priority for SFPA is improving the status of women and enhancing their understanding of their rights.

The organization allies sexual and reproductive health closely with development initiatives for women. Economic independence, or the capacity to make a significant contribution to a family’s income, empowers women, and with economic empowerment comes the potential for greater control over reproductive health and family planning.

Impact in Iraq

Thanks to our partnership, WfWI has enrolled 300 Kurdish women, displaced by war in northern Iraq, in its 12-month Stronger Women, Stronger Nations program (SWSN) which is focused on supporting women as they build knowledge of their rights, develop businesses and vocational skills, and join networks of support and advocacy. 

In the charity’s training center in Ninewa, Iraq, SWSN participants have been supported in setting up businesses including sweet-making, hairdressing, sewing and tailoring, using the numeracy, accounting and marketing skills they have learned on the program. 

The WfWI’s Aram Shakerm, country director for Iraq, says the women were also learning about their rights and building the confidence to speak up for themselves and change their lives. “After some women in the group had had their ID cards confiscated by the authorities, they now know how to go about getting new ones,” he says. 

The program is also teaching them about entrepreneurship and how to find funding for their businesses for the financial independence that will benefit themselves and their families. 

SWSN is so successful that there is a waiting list of 900 more women. “They’re keen to prosper from the program the way their friends and neighbors have,” says Aram. 

Our fundraising is also enabling women in Iraq to give back to their communities through WfWI’s Change Agents advocacy and leadership program. In May 2024, 25 graduates of SWSN were enrolled to become active agents of change within their communities. Building on the SWSN program, says Aram, these women “will develop their skills and knowledge to become community advocates, identifying issues and creating action plans to make sustainable social change in their lives and communities.”

A visit to remember

WfWI began working in Rwanda shortly after the 1994 genocide that had such a devastating impact, particularly on women and children. Colleagues from both legacy firms visited the country in January 2024 to see first-hand the impact of the global charity partnership. Paula Anderson, who's a partner based in New York, went on the trip. As a legacy Shearman & Sterling partner, she was learning about the global charity partnership which was originally an A&O initiative.

Paula believes the charity partnership is “a wonderful concept that really reflects the values of A&O Shearman, of global collaboration as well as a deep commitment to contributing positively to the world.”

“There was a great sense of camaraderie among our group of lawyers and business teams. We all came from different countries and different practice groups, but we shared a common passion for the work WfWI is doing. We felt the privilege of the experience and were all deeply affected by the women we met in Rwanda who were benefiting from WfWI’s holistic support,” she says. 

“Women who had previously been marginalized, thrown away by society, victims of unspeakable mental and physical abuse, and living in abject poverty, described how their lives had been transformed by this program, to the point where they could now provide for themselves, their families, and their communities, and most importantly, hold their heads high and reclaim their dignity.

“The support they gave each other was inspiring. Women who found it hard to trust anyone at the start of the program and would hardly speak to anyone, had quite literally found their voices. The emotional support and friendship, combined with understanding their rights and inner power, gave them freedom and optimism.

“We witnessed women experiencing a new lease of life, feeling a renewed sense of self-worth, and their resilience was only surpassed by their ambition.”

Paula met one group that had formed an agriculture cooperative since graduating from SWSN. “They are already exporting soya beans to Europe with plans to expand and diversify, buying trucks to manage their own distribution, and growing and exporting different crops as they navigate the impact of climate change. It’s a great example of social and economic empowerment in action.”

Long-lasting impact

Kate Cavelle, who was also on the trip, notes the far-reaching impact of WfWI’s support. “The women taking part in WfWI’s year-long programs achieve so much so quickly, but the impact is long-lasting, and the benefits to the wider community are huge.

“Given the building blocks and tools to revolutionize their lives, the women we met were able to pay for their children to go to school. We met some of the children who were growing up in more stable families, in communities with a new potential to thrive, with greater opportunities ahead of them thanks to their brave and enterprising mothers.”

In a country where more than 40% of women experience domestic violence, ensuring men are part of the process of change is vital, Kate says. “Men are also involved in the work, acting as allies and change agents, encouraging other men to embrace the opportunities opening up for women, and helping them understand the role of women in modern society. They are leading by example, letting their male friends and neighbors know that everyone will be better off if they support their wives’ independence, creating a ripple effect of change.”

Following the Rwanda trip, a group from A&O Shearman travelled to Sarajevo in November 2024 to witness WfWI’s work. It gave senior leaders the chance to learn more about the importance of WfWI’s Conflict Response Fund and the origins of WfWI, which was founded in Bosnia in 1993 to help women rebuild their lives after the war in the former Yugoslavia.

Impressive fundraising efforts

The global charity partnership has inspired commitment, generosity and creativity across A&O Shearman’s network, adding up to an impressive list of fundraising highlights, raising more than GBP643,000 by November 2024, with individual offices organizing local events as well as colleagues contributing to global efforts.

Our First Hour, First Day campaign, where colleagues could donate the first hour or first day of their January pay, brought in GBP507,000. We achieved an incredible response with more than 675 colleagues taking part from more than 36 offices.

The A&O Shearman Muslim Network hosted its annual Iftar dinner in support of WfWI. It was attended by peers from firms across the City of London, and raised more than GBP13,000.

At the global partner conference, we raised more than GBP14,000 when partners from 30 offices took part in a raffle to win a custom rug handmade by WfWI program graduates in Rwanda. The rug was produced at the Women’s Opportunity Center, where women are taught to create handmade products that they can sell to generate income and become self-reliant. The rug is now on display in the Hong Kong office.

Beyond financial support, our talented and committed colleagues across A&O Shearman are offering their skills, time and expertise, providing free legal advice and other professional support to WfWI.

We have provided pro bono advice on organizational structure for WfWI and undertook a mapping exercise of the legal framework on women’s rights in a key region for WfWI’s work, which the organization has been leveraging for advocacy and program development.

The power of partnership

WfWI’s Sara Bowcutt is excited for the future and what the partnership with A&O Shearman will mean for the charity beyond the two-year commitment. “We’ve seen incredible engagement at all levels in the firm and we feel so grateful for how we’ve been embraced by A&O Shearman in our first year,” she says. “The energy and passion is amazing, so I feel confident we’re not only going to reach our fundraising targets, but that this partnership will be a turning point for WfWI.

“One unexpectedly positive impact is how the partnership has brought us closer together as a global organization. We’re all working so hard to make the most of the partnership with A&O Shearman that we’re making stronger connections across borders and with other teams throughout WfWI.

“Most importantly though, with the support of A&O Shearman we’re creating greater opportunities to support women survivors of war as they rebuild their lives and are empowered to identify and create the sustainable change their communities need.”

Kate Cavelle adds: “It makes me proud to be part of this community of generous and talented people offering legal advice, professional and financial support, leveraging all their skills and experience and getting involved in many different ways across the world for one common goal.” 

The power of pro bono

Our global charity partnership is just one element of our social impact work as a firm. Our lawyers recorded 111,000 hours of pro bono work last year—more than 300 hours every day.

Our wider pro bono work to counter violence against women and girls includes research reports on female genital mutilation and advising survivors of domestic abuse, sexual exploitation and trafficking.

We have prepared extensive research on the education rights of girls, and supported advocacy and litigation on sexual reproductive health and rights in Tanzania. We also advise expectant and new mothers experiencing discrimination through a collaborative law firm partnership with Maternity Action.

Legacy A&O and Shearman both have a longstanding commitment to LGBTQ+ rights, providing between them pro bono support to NGOs the Human Dignity Trust, Rainbow Railroad and Stonewall. We advised Stonewall on the amendment and expansion of the UK Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, known as ‘Turing’s Law’, which pardons gay men convicted in the past because of their sexuality.

We have also provided research assistance to grassroots LGBTQ+ rights groups globally, via a strategic partnership with GiveOut, an organization that provides a platform for supporters to donate efficiently in one place to fund LGBTQ+ human rights activism worldwide.

As part of our environmental and conservation-focused pro bono work, we have produced sovereign debt swap agreements for The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental nonprofit organization, under the Blue Bonds for Ocean Conservation Program, which helps countries protect their marine resources by easing their debt burden.

We have also worked on a range of instructions for the Jane Goodall Institute, a UK wildlife and conservation charity. We have provided regulatory advice relating to carbon trading, and project finance advice on renewable energy too.

Read more about A&O Shearman’s social impact work