Quinn Emanual Urquhart & Sullivan (QE) has signed up to a new initiative launched by the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) to provide pro bono services to women and journalists globally.
QE becomes the first firm to partner with the foundation on the initiative, which is known as The Justice Champion Project. The foundation was co-founded by Amal Clooney, a prominent barrister at Doughty Street Chambers.
As part of the initiative, London-based QE associates Marjun Parcasio and Muzhgan Wahaj have been named as the inaugural 2026 Justice Champion Fellows.
Clooney said: “This partnership will help us do even more for the women and journalists we represent. We are lucky to count Quinn Emanuel as part of the CFJ family and very grateful for their support as our first Justice Champion partner.”
Kevin Johnson, a QE partner in the US, said: “At-risk women and detained journalists around the world have an advocate they can trust in CFJ,” adding: “We’re proud to support that mission, and this fellowship gives our lawyers the chance to work on consequential human rights matters while making a real difference in people’s lives.”
Julianne Hughes-Jennett, a partner known for her strong pro bono practice at QE‘s London office, added: “Quinn Emanuel is honoured to be CFJ’s inaugural partner and to support CFJ in its fight for human rights and justice globally. We look forward to using our legal skills to ensure access to justice for all.”
Since its founding, CFJ has secured more than 10,000 hours of free legal support for women facing discrimination and violence, and journalists unjustly imprisoned for their work, while Clooney herself has partnered with others on pro bono work regarding Ukraine.
The foundation’s board is co-chaired by co-founders Clooney and her husband, Hollywood actor, director and producer George Clooney, with board members including Economist editor Zanny Minton Beddoes, Microsoft vice chair Brad Smith and recent King’s Counsel appointment and Twenty Essex barrister Professor Philippa Webb.
The foundation has strong institutional links to the American Bar Association Centre for Human Rights and monitors and reports on trials as part of its TrialWatch programme, as well as collaborating with the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute on cases in which lawyers are targeted for their work.
As part of its partnership with the foundation, QE will also support the Oxford Institute for Technology and Justice, which was co-founded by Amal Clooney to harness the power of AI to advance justice.
QE also provides ongoing pro bono representation to Ukraine in inter-state human rights proceedings against Russia before the European Court of Human Rights, as reported by this title, having achieved an interim ruling last year after filing a £80bn damages claim in 2022.
Email your news and story ideas to: [email protected]
