Dentsu Aegis Network and Pro Bono Net Offer Access to Justice for Survivors of Natural Disasters

NEW YORK, NY, July 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the midst of hurricane season, a new two-part media campaign will aim to help underserved communities impacted by natural disasters secure the proper resources they need and often don’t receive. To tackle this important issue, Dentsu Aegis Network and Pro Bono Net will kick off a nationwide, integrated, two-part awareness campaign intended to recruit legal experts as well as promote pro-bono disaster relief opportunities for people in need. 

Administered by Pro Bono Net, DisasterLegalAid.org is a joint effort of Lone Star Legal Aid, Pro Bono Net, the American Bar Association’s Center for Pro Bono, the Legal Services Corporation and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association. DisasterLegalAid.org was established to recruit and mobilize legal professionals in the aftermath of a disaster and to help disaster-impacted communities get free legal aid and self-help resources.

The first campaign is targeted at the U.S. legal community as a call to action to volunteer. This will help ensure that there is a sufficient volunteer force ready to act when needed. The campaign will direct legal professionals to a landing page, designed and developed by Dentsu Aegis Network’s iProspect, to sign up as pro bono volunteers. Pro Bono Net will help connect volunteers with opportunities in their local area, and to resources available through DisasterLegalAid.org to learn more about the legal issues impacting survivors.

The creative executions ask: “Can they count on you?” as well as “Communities are counting on your skills – will you help them?” and “Are you with us?” Fetch, Dentsu Aegis Network’s global full-service mobile agency produced the creative, including videos, display-ads and social content. The campaign will run through M1, Dentsu Aegis Network’s 100% people-based marketing platform. M1 will provide clear, targeted insights into where to reach the legal community on platforms including Facebook, NinthDecimal, Viant, Teads and LiveIntent.  Activation will be handled across Dentsu Aegis Network’s programmatic specialists Amnet, Amplifi, Accordant and Merkle. This cross-agency approach will best help secure ad serving and inventory donated from partners.

The second campaign will utilize the same approach but will target communities impacted by natural disasters to build awareness of their legal rights and how to find legal help through DisasterLegalAid.org.

"Natural disasters can be devastating to individuals and families," said Mark O’Brien, Executive Director of Pro Bono Net. "Survivors have legal needs both immediately after a disaster, and in the months and years that follow. We know from over 15 years of experience mobilizing legal volunteers to assist disaster-stricken communities that lawyers are in a unique position to use their advocacy skills to provide support throughout the response and recovery process. We are grateful Dentsu Aegis Network is helping to amplify the vital work of legal professionals in helping communities to recover and build resiliency in the wake of disasters."

Miri Miller, Dentsu Aegis Network Associate General Counsel, Americas and Pro Bono Program Lead said: "As a member of the legal community, I understand that we are uniquely suited to help communities struggling to recover from natural disasters. I encourage my peers to contribute their skills to this cause. It is also crucial to devote resources from outside the legal community to improve awareness of legal rights and sources of pro bono legal aid. Too often those who need the most help, get the least assistance because they don’t know where to turn. At Dentsu Aegis, we are happy to lend our talent, our time and our hearts to disasterlegalaid.org’s important initiative. We sincerely hope that this is a mild disaster season, but we know it’s always better to plan for the worst and hope for the best"

These campaigns are an ambitious example of Dentsu Aegis Network’s commitment to tackling the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). The campaigns focus on SDG #16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, of which equitable access to justice is a key component, as well as SDG #10, Reduced Inequalities. Without sufficient recovery assistance, lower-income families fall further behind in achieving housing, employment and education stability in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Kathleen Dowse, Director, Program Management and Global Communication, Carat, and Miri Miller, Associate General Counsel, Americas, Dentsu Aegis Network are spearheading the plan and executing program objectives. For more information about how to help, please visit DisasterLegalAid.org.



About Dentsu Aegis Network

Part of Dentsu Inc., Dentsu Aegis Network is made up of ten global network brands - Carat, Dentsu, dentsu X, iProspect, Isobar, mcgarrybowen, Merkle, MKTG, Posterscope and Vizeum and supported by its specialist/multi-market brands. Dentsu Aegis Network is Innovating the Way Brands Are Built for its clients through its best-in-class expertise and capabilities in media, digital and creative communications services. Offering a distinctive and innovative range of products and services, Dentsu Aegis Network is headquartered in London and operates in 145 countries worldwide with more than 40,000 dedicated specialists. www.dentsuaegisnetwork.com