The awards recognise the best pro bono projects undertaken jointly by lawyers with non-governmental organisations or social entrepreneurs.
The London ceremony saw awards handed out in three categories -- impact, innovation and collaboration.

Sex trafficking

California-based Latham & Watkin’s took the impact award for its work with the bank RBS and Equality Now to reform local legislation on sex trafficking of women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa.
New York-based White & Case was recognised for innovation in its work with South African company Nexii on the world’s first stock exchange for social enterprises to diversify sources of funding.
The award for collaboration was given to the mHealth Alliance with Chicago-founded global giant Baker & McKenzie, Bangladesh-based  Doulah & Doulah, Ugandan firm MMAKS and Tanzania’s Rex Attorneys for their work on global standards for the use of mobile technologies to improve health.

Development issues

White & Case, Unisys, and Luthra & Luthra were also praised for being the most active TrustLaw members in their respective categories -- international law firm, corporate legal team and domestic law firm.
Monique Villa, chief executive of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which sponsored the awards, commented: ‘In 2012, we saw an increased demand for lawyers to work on strategic global projects addressing pressing development issues around the world… Indeed, the time lawyers gave to our social enterprises and NGO members this year was the equivalent of $25 million, more than double what they gave the previous year.’