The first edition of the Pro Bono Awards took place last February 6th at the Law Faculty of Lisbon University.

In a ceremony with the High Sponsorship of the Portuguese President, the 6 years of Pro Bono Portugal were celebrated and the lawyers and offices that best contributed to the fundamental right of access to justice through their pro bono programs were distinguished.

VdA was present and won the Pro Bono Award for the best special project of 2020, the “Fogos Project”.

The “Fogos Project”, resulted from a successful collaboration between lawyers Maria Pisani Burnay and Maria Eliseu (Senior Associate), representing VdA, which allowed to support one of the victims with serious injuries of the fire in Pedrógão Grande, Ms. D. Maria da Conceição Alves.
Specifically, the legal aid materialized in the inclusion of D. Maria da Conceição Alves (non-resident in Pedrógão) in the official list of victims of the fire, and in the drawing of the claim for compensation to be paid by the Portuguese State, to the victims with injuries.

The success of this collaboration and of VdA's pro bono programme, integrated into VdA's Social Economy Practice Area, reflects the impact that the joint effort of VdA's employees, in partnership with other lawyers who share the same values of justice and citizenship, can have on the community.