Hogan Lovells confirms the Debate it! project

Press releases | 17 July 2024

Milan, 17 July 2024 - The international law firm Hogan Lovells is committed both globally and locally to playing a major role in promoting inclusive and sustainable development, contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In Italy we have a dedicated Social Responsibility team who organises pro bono, corporate volunteering, fundraising, and sustainability activities, to help make a difference by spreading our values and culture, reaching out both within the firm and to the community and our clients.

Against this background, Hogan Lovells has launched the Debate It! Project in Italy. The project has been running in Milan since 2023 in collaboration with Fondazione Sodalitas and Istituto Pareto: it’s a tutoring program for high school students, aimed to help them develop skills that might be useful for their studies and personal growth. Through training sessions carried out over three months by the firm's lawyers, trainees, and staff, students are taught how to argue a case and present arguments in public, with a focus on body language awareness and appropriate debating attitudes, as well as basic negotiation techniques.

Francesca Rolla, partner at Hogan Lovells and co-head of Responsible Business in Europe, comments:

"One of the firm's priorities at a global, European, and national level is to develop specific projects for local communities in each country where Hogan Lovells is present. The Debate.it! project, now in its second Italian edition, is a flagship of the firm. With this project, we have tried to guide students on a journey to develop their argumentation skills up to the final moot. It was exciting to witness their progress and their ability to formulate clear and convincing arguments. We look forward to continuing this project and extending it to more schools in the coming years".

Laura Sansonna, a teacher at the Pareto Institute, adds: "The school works with Hogan Lovells as part of the PCTOs (Pathways for Transversal Skills and Orientation).

The activities proposed by the Debate it! project are particularly appreciated because, in addition to developing argumentation skills, they allow students to learn about and explore current topics in depth".