Karachi / Washington, D.C. The Legal Aid Society of Pakistan (LAS) has been awarded the 2025 Community Champion Award by Street Law, Inc. at its annual Awards Gala held in Washington, D.C. on April 30, 2025. LAS Chief Executive Officer Haya Zahid accepted the award on behalf of the organization.
This recognition honors LAS’s pioneering efforts to institutionalize Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) across Pakistan. Through strategic partnerships, including its collaboration with Street Law, LAS has worked to address Pakistan’s overburdened court system by training law faculty and students in mediation and community-based dispute resolution, while extending access to justice to underserved populations.
“This award affirms the belief that justice must be made more immediate, accessible, and community-rooted,” said Haya Zahid. “Together with Street Law, we have not only introduced new tools for resolving disputes—we’ve seeded a national shift in how justice is imagined and delivered.”
Founded in 2013, LAS has grown into a leading voice for legal empowerment in Pakistan, particularly for marginalized communities. Its work with Street Law began as a pilot initiative and has since evolved into a countrywide program endorsed by the Directorate of Legal Education, shaping how future lawyers are trained across law schools in Pakistan.
The 2025 Street Law Awards Gala was attended by more than 400 guests, including leaders from the U.S. legal sector, development organizations, academia, and civil society. The Community Champion Award is presented annually to one organization that exemplifies the power of legal education to advance justice in its community.
About the Legal Aid Society (LAS)
The Legal Aid Society (LAS) is a non-profit organization committed to expanding access to justice in Pakistan, particularly for vulnerable and marginalized communities. Founded in 2013, LAS works to strengthen legal institutions, promote citizen awareness, and deliver direct legal assistance through a rights-based, people-centered approach. Its work spans across legal empowerment, alternative dispute resolution, criminal justice reform, and institutional capacity building. With a presence across multiple districts and partnerships with government, civil society, and academia, LAS is reshaping how justice is understood and delivered in Pakistan.
