Legal Aid Society of Pakistan to Receive Street Law’s 2025 Community Champion Award 

Street Law, Inc. is proud to announce that the recipient of its 2025 Community Champion Award is the Legal Aid Society  (LAS) of Pakistan, a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization based in Karachi. Dedicated to expanding and enhancing access to justice, LAS provides critical legal support to communities in need. 

The annual Community Champion Award honors organizations that integrate Street Law materials and methodologies into their programming. This year’s award will be accepted by Haya Emaan Zahid, CEO of LAS, at Street Law’s 2025 Awards Gala on April 30 in Washington, DC.  

Founded in 2013, LAS seeks to bridge the gap between people and the justice they deserve. In addition to offering free legal aid, the organization works to address systemic challenges to build a more just society for all people. LAS focuses on key areas such as access to justice, gender and child security, and religious freedom. Its mission is rooted in the belief that justice is not just a legal outcome but a fundamental right that must be accessible to everyone. 

In line with its commitment to expanding access to justice, LAS partnered with Street Law, Inc. to institutionalize alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in Pakistan. This collaboration aimed to build the capacity of future legal professionals to resolve legal disputes through ADR techniques. By creating an alternative path to traditional court proceedings, the program helps reduce court congestion while providing more accessible and efficient resolutions for disputing parties. 

As part of this initiative, Street Law, Inc. designed a certificate course on ADR and trained law professors from leading Pakistani law schools. These professors then implemented the program at their respective institutions, where law students competed for coveted spots in the ADR course. Using interactive simulations, the curriculum emphasizes the importance of ADR and helps law students develop critical skills in mediation, conflict resolution, negotiation, and arbitration. The program was a resounding success: all 100 participating law students chose to continue their training to become official mediators. 

The success of the initiative has led to national recognition. The Directorate of Legal Education, responsible for setting the curriculum of law schools in Pakistan, has praised the program and requested that it be implemented in all Pakistani law schools nationwide. Street Law, Inc. looks forward to continuing its collaboration with LAS to support the further development and implementation of this groundbreaking work. 

Reflecting on the significance of the partnership, Haya Zahid, CEO of LAS, shared: “At the Legal Aid Society, we believe that justice must be lived, not just legislated. This partnership with Street Law has allowed us to not only empower future legal professionals but to reimagine what accessible, community-rooted justice can look like in Pakistan. Equipping students with the tools to mediate, negotiate, and resolve — rather than litigate — is how we begin to build a more just, more compassionate society.” 

Echoing that sentiment, Ashok Regmi, Street Law’s CEO, stated: “Street Law, Inc. is proud to honor the Legal Aid Society of Pakistan as our 2025 Community Champion. Together, we launched a powerful program to advance the understanding and practice of ADR in Pakistan—expanding access to justice and strengthening legal education. We hope to continue this impactful partnership to bring our ADR course to law schools across the country.” 

LAS’s commitment to community-based, people-centered legal services exemplifies the spirit of the Community Champion Award. Street Law, Inc. is honored to celebrate the organization’s impactful work and contributions to justice in Pakistan.