<\/p>\n
Battered women who fear for their safety, mothers unable to support their children, dysfunctional families in need. A reality for many women is the presence of domestic violence in their lives. This situation, although occurring in all social and economic levels, is much more obvious and has more serious consequences in low-income communities. Despite the fact that Panama has a law that condemns domestic violence, lack of resources, ignorance, gender inequality and other factors have prevented this ailment of society from affecting women who day in and day out fear for both their and their children\u2019s physical and emotional safety.<\/p>\n
Statistics gathered on domestic violence around the world are alarming. Many of these cases are never reported and the number of women living without the opportunity to speak their truth is increasing every day. Lack of access to justice and adequate legal aid keep these women in a cycle that prevents them from getting out of their situation.<\/p>\n
In January 2007, to give a voice to these women, the Morgan & Morgan Group (MMG) creates the Community Legal Assistance Foundation (Fundalcom)<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n This foundation, a project unique in its nature among law firms and private companies in Panama, is Morgan & Morgan\u00b4s emblem project, showcasing its commitment to the Global Compact of the United Nations. Its goal is to guide and represent, for free, in family processes and domestic violence cases, people whose income is less than $ 800.00 per month.<\/p>\n Many are the women who daily reach the Fundalcom offices hoping to find the advice they need and for so long thought was out of reach. For those who are part of this foundation the work being performed is invaluable. Belkis Rodriguez, a social worker, says: “The work done in Fundalcom, is difficult because of the direct contact with a population that has many different problems: legal, psychological, spiritual, economic etc. To be able to do this kind of work, one must be very committed and, above all, be humble and show humility to those who seek our help. “<\/p>\n Parallel to the legal advice program, Fundalcom offers workshops that aim to educate the population (especially women) in matters concerning the prevention of domestic violence. These workshops have the objective of training people who in turn can help promulgate the learned information.<\/p>\n The number of cases that daily reached Fundalcom was a wakeup call for the members of the Morgan & Morgan Group who realized that many people across the country lack the resources and facilities to access proper legal advice.<\/p>\n \u00a0This reality and the fact that in 2011 Morgan & Morgan became the first Panamanian firm to subscribe to the Pro Bono Declaration of the Americas, an initiative promoted by “The Cyrus Vance Center for International Justice” gave birth to the idea of coordinating monthly Legal Counseling Open Houses, where attorneys from the firm could offer pro bono legal advice in poor communities around the country. It should be noted that the main objective of the Pro Bono Declaration of the Americas is to ensure access to justice to people in need through the commitment of American attorneys to invest an average of 20 pro bono hours per year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Since Morgan & Morgan institutionalized this program, we have managed to add more than 600 pro bono hours with the active participation of 40 lawyers from the Group who have taken part in 16 fairs providing free legal advice to more than 200 people. At the same time, training on the prevention of domestic violence, healthy relationships and gender equity has been provided to nearly 250 people in several poor communities in various parts of the country. Over 80% of the participants have been women looking for guidance on family process issues, and to whom this initiative have allowed the privilege of receiving an excellent firsthand legal advice on matters relating to divorce, abuse, custody, alimony and domestic violence among others.<\/p>\n On the first year, the achievements of this pro bono practice have been inspiring. The testimony of the lawyers who have donated their free time taking it from their families, personal activities and moments of well-deserved rest reflect how special the satisfaction earned in return is. They all appreciate the great impact that pro bono work has had on their lives, both personal and professional. Fernando Alfaro, partner of the Morgan & Morgan Group, who to date has already participated in three legal fairs, says:<\/p>\n “Part of the reason I became a lawyer was due to the possibility of helping society. I knew at some point in my career as a lawyer I was going to do some pro bono work. \u00a0\u00a0What I did not know was the huge impact that these “clients” would have on my life. During that first Open House, touring the community that we had been assigned to together with other colleagues of the firm, I realized how much help is needed. Offering legal advise to these people, who truly needed it, when they otherwise would not have had access to justice, gave me an amazing feeling. I met some exceptional people, most of them women, and I was able to do a wonderful job. Since that day I no longer feel that working on my day off is a drawback. Now I think it is an opportunity for not only learning, but also being an agent of change. It is experiences such as these that remind me of why I became a lawyer in the first place and make me understand the importance of pro bono work. ” Alfaro is not the only one who feels this way. The associate attorney Kharla Aizpur\u00faa<\/a> says: “I think there is a sincere commitment of the Morgan & Morgan Group to innovate, develop and provide ways to give the opportunity to members of vulnerable communities the access to expert legal advise. Moreover, the Group\u2019s attorneys have been given the opportunity to cover areas of law that are intrinsic to the human factor and become part of a larger project aimed at producing changes in people’s lives. Our firm believes in the importance of looking after those in need, knowing only a life of abuse and to offer the opportunity to help them with the certainty of knowing and understanding that circumstances can be changed to welcome all opportunities that the future that can offer them and their children<\/em><\/strong>“.<\/p>\n Thereby Morgan & Morgan is positioned as a Law Firm that is not only dedicated to the practice of law but also to community service. Corporate social responsibility, including pro bono practice, is part of Morgan & Morgan\u2019s corporate culture since its foundation in 1923, distinguishing us by a leadership based on values and principles. Our lawyers are very aware that this profession not only has lucrative rewards measured in billable hours, but is also a vehicle to help and serve those who, for lack of resources, cannot aspire to adequate legal representation.<\/p>\n The legacy of Dr. Eduardo Morgan Alvarez, whose life was characterized by the concern of protecting the interests of the needy and helping them obtain a basic right such as the access to justice, has served as an example for all members of the Morgan & Morgan Group to continue this important work which is paramount in any organization that wishes to make a positive difference in the community to which it belongs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mujeres maltratadas que temen por su seguridad, madres sin poder mantener a sus hijos, familias en conflicto que necesitan ayuda. Una realidad para muchas mujeres es la presencia de la violencia dom\u00e9stica en sus vidas.\u00a0 Esta situaci\u00f3n, a pesar de que se presenta en todos los niveles sociales y econ\u00f3micos, es mucho m\u00e1s evidente y tiene consecuencias m\u00e1s graves en comunidades de bajos recursos.\u00a0\u00a0 Aunque en Panam\u00e1 existe una ley que ampara contra la violencia domestica, la falta de recursos, la ignorancia, la desigualdad de g\u00e9nero y otros factores no han dejado que este flagelo de la sociedad deje de azotar a mujeres que d\u00eda a d\u00eda temen por la seguridad f\u00edsica y emocional, tanto de ellas como de sus hijos.<\/p>\n Estad\u00edsticas recopiladas sobre la violencia dom\u00e9stica alrededor del mundo son alarmantes.\u00a0 Muchos de estos casos nunca llegan a ser reportados y cada vez es mayor la cantidad de mujeres afectadas que carecen de una voz que hable su realidad.\u00a0 La falta de acceso a la justicia y a una asistencia legal adecuada las mantiene en un ciclo que no las deja salir de su situaci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n En enero 2007, con el fin de darle una voz a \u00e9stas mujeres, el Grupo Morgan & Morgan (GMM) crea la Fundaci\u00f3n de Asistencia Legal Comunitaria (Fundalcom)<\/strong><\/a>.Esta fundaci\u00f3n, proyecto \u00fanico en su naturaleza entre firmas de abogados y empresas privadas de Panama es el proyecto emblema del compromiso que tiene Morgan & Morgan con el Pacto Global de las Naciones Unidas.\u00a0 Su objetivo es orientar y representar, gratuitamente, en procesos de familia y violencia dom\u00e9stica a personas con ingresos inferiores a los $800.00 mensuales.<\/p>\n Son muchas las mujeres que d\u00eda a d\u00eda llegan a las oficinas de Fundalcom con la esperanza de encontrar la asesor\u00eda que necesitan y que pensaron estaba fuera de su alcance. Para los que forman parte de esta fundaci\u00f3n el trabajo que se realiza es invaluable.\u00a0 Belkis Rodr\u00edguez, trabajadora social, nos dice: \u201cel trabajo que se realiza en Fundalcom, es dif\u00edcil ya que se tiene contacto directo con una poblaci\u00f3n que presenta muchos problemas de diferentes \u00edndoles, legales, psicol\u00f3gicos, espirituales, econ\u00f3micos etc. Para hacer este trabajo hay que tener mucho compromiso y, sobre todo, hay que ser humildes y sencillos al momento de atender a los que solicitan nuestra ayuda\u201d.<\/p>\n Paralelamente al programa de asesor\u00eda legal, Fundalcom educa en la prevenci\u00f3n de la violencia dom\u00e9stica dictando talleres a agentes multiplicadores con el fin de difundir la informaci\u00f3n aprendida.<\/p>\n La cantidad de casos que d\u00eda a d\u00eda llegaban a Fundalcom le abrieron los ojos al Grupo Morgan & Morgan ante la realidad de que muchas personas en todo el pa\u00eds carecen de los recursos y facilidades para obtener una asesor\u00eda legal adecuada.<\/p>\n Esta realidad y el hecho de que en el a\u00f1o 2011 Morgan & Morgan se convierte \u00a0en la primera firma paname\u00f1a en subscribirse a la Declaraci\u00f3n Pro Bono de las Am\u00e9ricas, iniciativa impulsada por \u201cThe Cyrus Vance Center for International Justice\u201d \u00a0siembra en el Grupo la idea de coordinar mensualmente Ferias de Orientaci\u00f3n Legal, donde abogados de la firma puedan ofrecer asesor\u00eda en diversos temas legales a comunidades de escasos recursos en calidad pro bono. Cabe recalcar que el objetivo principal de la Declaraci\u00f3n Pro Bono de las Am\u00e9ricas es garantizar el acceso a la justicia a las personas m\u00e1s necesitadas mediante el compromiso de los abogados del continente Americano de invertir un promedio de 20 horas pro bono al a\u00f1o.<\/p>\n Desde que Morgan & Morgan institucionaliz\u00f3 este programa hemos logrado sumar m\u00e1s de 600 horas pro bono con la participaci\u00f3n activa de 40 abogados del grupo los cuales han participado en 16 ferias brind\u00e1ndole asesor\u00eda legal gratuita a m\u00e1s de 200 personas.\u00a0 Paralelamente se ha brindado capacitaci\u00f3n en temas de prevenci\u00f3n de la violencia dom\u00e9stica, relaciones sanas y equidad de g\u00e9nero a casi 250 personas en diferentes comunidades de escasos recursos en varios puntos del pa\u00eds. M\u00e1s del 80% de los participantes de estas jornadas han sido mujeres en busca de atenci\u00f3n y gu\u00eda en temas de proceso de familia, a quienes esta iniciativa les ha permitido recibir de primera mano una excelente asesor\u00eda legal en materia de divorcio, abuso, custodia, pensi\u00f3n alimenticia y violencia dom\u00e9stica entre otros.<\/p>\n Los logros de esta pr\u00e1ctica pro bono en nuestro primer a\u00f1o han sido inspiradores.\u00a0 Los testimonios de los abogados que han donado sus horas libres restando tiempo a sus familias, actividades personales y momentos de merecido descanso reflejan lo especial de lo obtenido a cambio.\u00a0 Todos aprecian el gran impacto que la labor pro bono ha tenido en sus vidas, tanto personales como profesionales. Fernando Alfaro, socio de Morgan & Morgan quien ya ha participado en tres ferias legales hasta la fecha, comenta que<\/p>\n \u201cparte de la raz\u00f3n por la que me convert\u00ed en abogado se debi\u00f3 a la posibilidad de ayudar a la sociedad.\u00a0 Sab\u00eda que en alg\u00fan momento de mi carrera de abogado iba a hacer algo de trabajo pro bono. Lo que no sab\u00eda era el inmenso impacto que esos “clientes” tendr\u00edan en mi vida.\u00a0 Durante aquella primera feria, al recorrer la comunidad que nos hab\u00edan asignado junto a otros compa\u00f1eros de la firma, realic\u00e9 cuanta ayuda se necesita.\u00a0 Asesorar a estas personas en sus necesidades legales, cuando de otra manera no tendr\u00edan accesos a la justicia, me produjo una sensaci\u00f3n incre\u00edble.\u00a0 Conoc\u00ed personas y en especial mujeres excepcionales, y tuve la oportunidad de hacer un trabajo maravilloso.\u00a0 Desde ese d\u00eda no pienso que trabajar en mi d\u00eda de descanso es un inconveniente.\u00a0 Ahora pienso que es una oportunidad, no solo para aprender, sino para ser agente de cambio.\u00a0 Son experiencias como \u00e9stas las que me recuerdan por qu\u00e9 decid\u00ed ser abogado y me hacen entender la importancia del trabajo pro-bono\u201d. Alfaro no es el \u00fanico que se siente de esta manera. La asociada Kharla Aizpur\u00faa<\/a> nos dice: \u201cCreo que hay un compromiso sincero de parte del GMM de innovar, desarrollar y proveer maneras de dar oportunidad a miembros de comunidades vulnerables de acceder a un servicio legal capacitado. Adem\u00e1s, se le ha dado la oportunidad a los abogados de abarcar aquellas \u00e1reas del derecho que son m\u00e1s intr\u00ednsecas al factor humano y que se convierten en parte de un proyecto m\u00e1s amplio cuyo objetivo produce cambios en la vida de las personas.\u00a0 Nuestra firma cree en la importancia de velar por aquellas personas necesitadas que solo conocen una vida de abuso y en ofrecerles la posibilidad de ayudarlos con la certeza de saber y entender que las circunstancias se pueden cambiar para acoger todas las oportunidades que el futuro puede ofrecer a ellos y sus hijos<\/strong><\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n \u00a0De esta manera Morgan & Morgan se posiciona como una firma no solo dedicada al ejercicio del Derecho sino tambi\u00e9n al servicio a la comunidad.\u00a0 La responsabilidad social empresarial, incluyendo la pr\u00e1ctica pro bono, es parte de la cultura corporativa de Morgan & Morgan desde su fundaci\u00f3n en 1923 y nos caracteriza por un liderazgo basado en valores y principios. Nuestros abogados tienen muy presente que esta profesi\u00f3n no s\u00f3lo tiene recompensas lucrativas que se miden en horas de facturaci\u00f3n, sino que tambi\u00e9n es un veh\u00edculo para ayudar y servir a aquellas personas que por falta de recursos no pueden aspirar a una representaci\u00f3n legal adecuada.<\/p>\n El legado del Dr. Eduardo Morgan Alvarez, que vivi\u00f3 preocupado siempre de velar por los intereses de los m\u00e1s necesitados y ayudando a \u00e9stos a tener acceso a un derecho tan b\u00e1sico como lo es el acceso a la justicia, ha servido\u00a0\u00a0 para que la familia que hoy constituye al Grupo Morgan & Morgan\u00a0 contin\u00fae \u00e9sta importante labor la cual es primordial en cualquier organizaci\u00f3n que desee marcar una diferencia positiva dentro de la comunidad a la que pertenece.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Battered women who fear for their safety, mothers unable to support their children, dysfunctional families in need. A reality for many women is the presence of domestic violence in their lives. This situation, although occurring in all social and economic levels, is much more obvious and has more serious consequences in low-income communities. Despite the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[465,420],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/morimor.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24282"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/morimor.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/morimor.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morimor.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morimor.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/morimor.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24282\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/morimor.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morimor.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morimor.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}