Mayer Brown awarded ‘ESG Programme of the Year’ at the Legal Business Awards 2026

London – Mayer Brown has been awarded ‘ESG Programme of the Year’ at the Legal Business Awards 2026 for pro bono work supporting the development of Guatemala's first comprehensive national protection framework for Indigenous and environmental women human rights defenders.

The firm's cross-office, cross-practice team worked with the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice to support RedNOVI, a Guatemalan civil society network, in shaping the country's national consultation process on the protection of human rights defenders. The team prepared a comprehensive legal memorandum on international and regional standards for the protection of Women Human Rights Defenders, deliberately integrating anthropological and social analysis with binding legal standards to ensure that protection mechanisms reflected the realities of Maya and other Indigenous communities. The project dedicated 613.7 pro bono hours and culminated in a memorandum that equipped civil society with legally authoritative, culturally grounded submissions. In July 2025, the Government of Guatemala adopted the Política Pública para la Protección de Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos en Guatemala 2025–2035, a ten-year national policy framework whose commitments closely track the recommendations advanced through the civil society advocacy that Mayer Brown supported.

The annual Legal Business Awards bring together the industry's leading practitioners, firms, and in-house teams to highlight excellence in innovation and client service.

This award reflects Mayer Brown's commitment to pro bono work that is both rigorous and culturally grounded, and to integrating ESG principles into the firm's broader strategy. It is also a testament to the dedication and expertise of the full project team - led by Mehreen Malik, Pro Bono Counsel for Europe, with Associates Marco Portillo Díaz and Lucía Londoño, Knowledge Counsel Sarah Shearman, and Legal Assistant Juan Pablo Tablada Flores - whose combined efforts helped move this project from legal research to real-world systemic impact.