This episode captures the breadth of Curtis's pro bono work, spanning human rights and refugee asylum cases to estate planning for artists and arguing constitutional challenges before the U.S. Supreme Court. Curtis attorneys champion the legal interests of both individuals in need, and charitable organizations that serve the public good. The firm's commitment to pro bono is evident in its 200-year history, through historic cases such as the representation of third-class passengers in what became a US$2.5 million class action lawsuit against the White Star Line, operator of the Titanic, which sank in April 1912.

Host Kate Fairweather hears from lawyers in New York, Mexico City, and London about how Curtis approaches pro bono work today, and the meaningful impact it creates.

[01:43] New York based Turner Smith, chair of Curtis's Pro Bono Committee oversees the firm's pro bono activities across all offices. He has worked on a wide range of pro bono matters and represented diverse not-for-profit organizations, including the New York Transit Museum, Society for International Humanitarian Surgeons, and the Autism Society of America. He emphasizes the importance of treating pro bono clients with the same dedication and resources as paying clients. He notes how, for young lawyers, pro bono work offers invaluable experience. Turner reflects on how pro bono work took him to Sudan's highest court, and acknowledges the firm's unwavering support.

[09:36] Mexico City based Santiago Corcuera-Cabezut, a corporate partner, focuses his pro bono work on human rights, particularly cases involving enforced or involuntary disappearances under the auspices of the United Nations, as well as extensive work in refugee law. His commitment began as an academic interest while at Cambridge and remains a lifelong passion. Santiago discusses maintaining a thriving corporate practice alongside his international human rights pro bono work, describing the latter as a personal privilege. He encourages junior lawyers to embrace multiple practice interests and emphasizes strongly that his pro bono work stems not from charity but from conviction, and commitment to making a lasting impact on the legal landscape.

[14:52] London based Harry Draper, an associate, explains how his interest in pro bono began during his training and continues to be supported by senior lawyers at the firm. Harry describes his volunteering at the Waterloo Action Centre in London, where individuals seek assistance with personal suits, employment disputes, housing and tenancy issues, and other matters. He explains why he values the hands-on experience of pro bono work: directing case strategies and taking ownership of matters from start to finish and how his pro bono work directly informs and enriches the counsel he provides to corporate clients.

In this episode, recorded from our Paris office in the elegant 8th arrondissement, you'll hear from lawyers in our dispute resolution team discussing their career journeys and the choices they have encountered within this dynamic discipline. Regarded as a centre of excellence in dispute resolution within Curtis, our Paris team comprises lawyers with diverse backgrounds within disputes and beyond.

Host Kate and her guests in Paris take a deep dive here into the practice of dispute resolution and explore their experience working with a global team on international matters:

• International Arbitration partner Marie-Claire Argac shares insights on the benefits of working with an international community of clients and colleagues, and offers guidance on leveraging these connections early in one's career, and staying engaged in conversations with the active investor-State community. Marie-Claire, who frequently acts as defense counsel to States, discusses the satisfaction she finds in developing winning strategies for her clients from the outset of each case. She discusses her path to partnership at a leading arbitration firm and the myriad options available to young lawyers today entering international arbitration.

• Associate Charlotte Fromont discusses her work with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the Paris-headquartered International Court of Arbitration (ICC). Charlotte shares how she draws energy from both her work and team, emphasizes the importance of passion for the discipline, and explains the necessity of mastering both legal facts and industry-specific technical details when handling complex arbitration cases. She also provides candid advice on achieving work-life balance.

• Disputes Counsel Loujaine Kahaleh reflects on her experience representing sovereign states and state-owned entities in arbitral matters, and how her pivot to litigation has involved significant time in the formal setting of French courts. She offers valuable perspectives on specializing in both arbitration and litigation, including anecdotes from a set-aside proceeding before the French Supreme Court (Cour de Cassation) in a high-profile case.

An insight into the sophisticated and distinctive legal market in Frankfurt, Germany’s financial and banking centre and home to the European Central Bank.

Life is never dull for Curtis’ Frankfurt team, which serves a strong domestic client base alongside a high level of international clients with interests in Germany.

In this episode, Kate Fairweather meets a variety of lawyers at different stages of their career and across a range of disciplines.

· International investment funds lawyers Tobias Koch and Jan Schoberwalter describe the range of clients and their different paths into investment funds work – as well as the need for an open personality for this sociable area of law;

· Disputes partner Sabine Schmidt shares her experience in commercial dispute resolution as both an arbitrator and as counsel. She also explains why both law and industry custom are equally important when representing sports law clients before the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal;

· Senior tax lawyer Christian Fingerhut on the combination of technically complex work with client relations, while dealing ultimately with at least one and often more tax authorities and regulators. He outlines the range of skills a tax lawyer needs, to work in the ‘overlap’ between accountancy and law;

· Corporate partner Kim Rissel describes working with the “hidden champions” of Germany’s industrial sector and offers some strong and very practical advice to law students.