Protesters march against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd. / Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

More international firms including Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance and Dentons have made charitable donations and other commitments amid continued civil unrest in the U.S. following the death of an unarmed black man.

There have been widespread protests across the U.S. and the globe in recent days following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer.

Clifford Chance's Americas managing partner Evan Cohen announced on Tuesday that the practice is doubling its funding to the Equal Justice Initiative, a U.S. non-profit founded by well-known public interest lawyer Bryan Stevenson, that challenges economic racial and economic injustice. The firm will now give $100,000 to the organisation.

In a note published on the firm's website, CC senior partner Jeroen Ouwehand said that the commitment was not being "regarded as a comprehensive solution—it is an initial but tangible step".

"There remains a daily need to further inclusion across our organisation through the work of our affinity groups, policies, programmes and reporting and—perhaps most importantly—how we treat and respect each other every day."

The firm added that the firm is also looking at supporting affected communities through pro bono work, as well as supporting its own Black and Latino subcommittee in the Americas.

Allen & Overy, meanwhile, has pledged to donate $10,000 to the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Legal Defense and Education Fund this week.

The firm's management informed its global workforce of the action it is taking in an email on Tuesday which said that "A&O stands in support of equality and justice and outlines actions the firm is taking", according to a spokesperson for the firm.

The firm added that it is also looking to increase its pro bono commitments, and has shared resources for staff to engage with and where they can find support should they need it.

Weil Gotshal & Manges has said that it is giving $100,000 in expanded contributions to three U.S. organisations focused on the pursuit of racial justice with longstanding relationships with the firm: Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the National Urban League.

Morrison & Foerster has also donated $10,000 from its charitable foundation between two organizations working to reform the criminal justice system and address racial injustice, The Bail Project and Equal Justice Initiative.

The firm is also offering an additional $10,000 special match until June 10 for charitable donations made by MoFo lawyers and staff to nonprofit organizations supporting criminal justice and policing reforms and combating racial discrimination.

Morrison & Foerster chair Larren Nashelsky, who is based in the firm's New York office, shared on LinkedIn the message he sent to MoFo employees on Monday, in which he said that the firm will be stepping up its efforts to enact change on racial injustice in four ways: "education, legal services to support racial justice, charitable donations and community action".

Elsewhere, employees from U.K.-headquartered firm Osborne Clarke's San Francisco office attended a peaceful protest at Oakland Tech high school on Monday, a spokesperson for the firm said.

On Tuesday, the firm's management team posted on LinkedIn that they were "committed to standing up for what is right and not just standing by".

"We are alongside everybody who is standing up for George Floyd. We support our BAME friends, colleagues and clients at this difficult time and remain committed to increasing diversity at Osborne Clarke, and in the legal sector so that we better reflect the communities we live and work in."

In a separate LinkedIn post, the firm's managing partner Ray Berg added, amid a string of hashtags about not being a bystander when it comes to racial discrimination, that "this is an issue for everyone… Call it out when you see it."

On Monday, Dentons global CEO Elliott Portnoy posted on the firm's website about the "anger, horror, disgust and sadness" brought about by the video of Floyd's death.

"I cannot fully understand the experience of my black colleagues and others across the globe who endure the daily sting of injustice and threats from racism. I cannot fully appreciate the fear of seeing your loved ones leave each morning for work or school not knowing if they will return home in a world where your skin color results in systemic discrimination and persistent violence," he wrote.

In the U.S., several law firm leaders have spoken publicly about their outrage at the situation. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison chairman Brad Karp said that he wants to increase co-operation between top U.S. law firms for a major pro bono undertaking "to help achieve racial justice and eradicate systemic racism."

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