One of the priorities of our 2020 Strategy was to create a more engaged Firm and to introduce a set of clear values that articulate our principles and aspirations.

We did this in 2020, when Chair Hugh Verrier announced our values – pioneering, united and human – at the Global Partner Meeting in London.

The values were chosen following extensive engagement with people across the Firm and from feedback in the 2018 Engagement Survey. They embody what White & Case stands for and what differentiates us from our competitors.

Since then, we’ve seen countless examples of teams and individuals bringing them to life across the Firm, not least during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The winners of our Going the Extra Mile (GEM) Awards are a case in point, with colleagues nominating people across the Firm who went above and beyond the call of duty in recent times.

Here are just a few examples of GEM winners whose actions epitomize our values of pioneering, united and human.

A united response

Helping colleagues work safely and efficiently whether in the office or at home has been a top priority for the Firm throughout the pandemic, but it has only been made possible through the amazing work of our people.

Responding to an ever-changing situation required a united effort, which has been recognized in several GEM Award wins.

Among them was Li Xue of our Beijing office, who was nominated for her excellent work in tracking the whereabouts of everyone on the team when the pandemic hit.

Li put in place a support structure for people who needed to come into the office and always ensured the latest governmental policies were shared. She also researched relief initiatives, so the office could offer them to colleagues where applicable.

In Hong Kong, Stella Wong came into the office every day to support colleagues. In Dubai, Shabif Abu consistently put the Firm before himself to support the team, also arranging face masks when there was high demand.

In London, Office Executive Partner Melissa Butler nominated the office’s essential workers for their exceptional efforts to keep the team functioning during several nationwide lockdowns.

In Johannesburg, Happiness Sibiya and Ramokone Chaba won awards for their dedication, above and beyond their normal roles, in ensuring the office was hygienic and safe for colleagues at all times.

Tamim Seoudy of our Abu Dhabi office was praised for supporting colleagues who were stranded abroad while overseeing an office renovation, while Lysian Bux of our Berlin office received several nominations for ensuring all services at the office continued to work seamlessly.

Compassion with a human touch

People across the Firm have also gone out of their way to help in their communities during the pandemic, often in pioneering ways.

Shezein Mahdey of our Johannesburg office helped set up a new charitable organization called Project X to respond to unemployment and economic hardship caused by the pandemic.

Shezein’s charity purchases, cooks and distributes food and helps make structural improvements to orphanages, building pre-schools, and empowering vulnerable groups.

It also supports mental wellness and aims to help communities look after their pets by supplying food and procuring microchipping services.

In Tampa, Tracy Schofield-Djevalikian was so concerned by the lack of quality masks available to vulnerable people that she launched a personal campaign to sew and distribute them herself.

Since then, Tracy has continued to produce and distribute masks at her own expense, inspiring her colleagues through her compassion and creativity.

Sira Gonzalez of our Madrid office showed amazing community spirit when she bought food to deliver to vulnerable people during lockdown.

Sira worked with several good causes, including Alimenta Familias (Feed Families), which helped more than 300 families in the Madrid area who were unable to leave their homes or in financial difficulty.

Another to show the human side of the Firm in the local community was Orlando Rodgers of Chicago, who spent his birthday feeding the homeless, while Gabrielle Barnett, Patricia Borri and Sonia Vandeneycken of our Brussels office displayed extraordinary selflessness to support local charity Unless, which provides supplies to the homeless community.

In Prague, Anna Starkova excelled as an ambassador for #energiilekarum, a project that delivers fresh vegetables and fruit to nurses and doctors working on the front line during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Getting connected, raising morale

Many GEM winners were nominated for their technical support during the switch to home working, including teams in Mexico City, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Prague, Miami and Stockholm.

Celina Oliveira of our São Paulo office won praise for running a virtual happy hour and for going the extra mile to raise morale and connect people, while Kelly Burls won an award in London for organizing virtual team quizzes to keep people entertained and in touch.

Miquel Mirambell Fargas of our Frankfurt office and Tina Hulzsch of Hamburg won praise for their outstanding work on two projects during difficult times, and Moscow’s Elena Vasilyeva won an award for her work on a field tax audit.

That’s just a small taste of the great ways people across the Firm have reflected our values during the pandemic. Here’s the full list of GEM Award winners.