|
Husseini & Husseini, LLP has a strong belief that pro bono legal activity is an attribute of every attorney not only because it is in the public interest but in the professional interest of lawyers. We have devoted time since 1994 to pioneering the "paradigm" for pro bono work by law firms in Palestine. Therefore, we actively sponsor and encourage it. We instill the values of giving and community service in all our lawyers, starting with those receiving their two-year training at our firm.
Palestine has a strong and long-standing tradition in public interest activities, the focus, however, has been oriented towards human rights and prisoners rights in relation to the occupation. Legal aid has also devoted resources to women’s issues. But law firms, have not yet channeled resources to public interest issues such as children, environmental, health and education, underprivileged, criminal, labor and employment, land disputes, and constitutionally guaranteed rights and liberties. Husseini & Husseini, by contrast has. In addition, we represent non-profit organizations and charities on strictly pro-bono basis. We have provided counsel to the government and the international community on policy development and legal reform, again, strictly on pro bono basis because we firmly believe that we must play an active role in nation and state-building.
In providing pro bono advice, the firm is selective, it focuses on high-profile "impact cases" of national importance. Most recently, the firm achieved significant victories in a highly charged matter concerning the construction of the separation wall where the line delineation in East Jerusalem would have had devastating impact on the residents of highly populated areas; we succeeded in moving the lines. We worked on the adoption of orphaned children by Christian non-Palestinian families, where we labored through the quagmire and interplay between Sharia, ecclesiastical, civil laws and the Status Quo arrangements dating back to the Ottoman rule and the churches. Children now can be legally adopted and depart the Palestinian Authority to their new homes in strict jurisdictions like the United States and Canada.
The firm’s managing partner has been, in pro-bono capacity, serving and participating in peace talks. She devotes considerable time to efforts related to the peace process and remains unwavering in her dedication peace promoting activities. |
