(openPR) - New York – The global law firm of Thompson & Knight LLP recently assisted the Center for Digital Inclusion (“CDI”), a Brazilian nonprofit organization that provides computer access and training in impoverished communities, in the acquisition of Jordan-based Shabakat Al Ordon (“Shabakat”), the largest nonprofit organization focused on digital inclusion in the Arabic region.

This significant cross-border acquisition was funded by James Wolfensohn, the former president of the World Bank. Shabakat will become CDI Jordan, and the new entity will serve as CDI’s regional hub for further expansion in the region, specifically focusing on Levant, the GCC countries, and North Africa, where only 22% of the Arabic population have Internet access.

The Thompson & Knight team advising on this pro bono project was led by Marcello Hallake, a Partner in the Firm’s New York office and the President of CDI International, and included Associates Carolyn S. Mulvey, Irene Ribeiro, and Remy M. Davis. “This acquisition will allow CDI to further its mission of global digital inclusion, and Thompson & Knight is proud to have participated in a project that will positively impact the lives of those in need around the globe,” says Hallake.

According to Rodrigo Baggio, CDI’s Founder, “Thompson & Knight’s expertise in cross-border mergers and acquisitions as well as the dedication of the Firm’s team were fundamental to the success of this important transaction.”

About CDI

Founded in 1995, CDI is a pioneer of the digital inclusion movement in Latin America as well as one of the world’s leading social enterprises – utilizing a unique socio-educational approach that advocates digital literacy, citizenship, and entrepreneurship. Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, CDI is an international NGO (non-governmental organization) with U.S. 501(c)(3) status, and currently has operations in New York, London, ten countries across Latin America, and now in Jordan. To date, CDI has served more than 1.3 million people through its network of 803 self-managed and self-sustaining CDI Community Centers throughout Latin America, Europe, and the Arabic region. In addition to low-income communities, CDI centers are also present in prisons, indigenous communities, psychiatric clinics, and hospitals for the mentally and physically disabled. Recognized with more than 60 international awards, CDI is supported by global partners such as Microsoft, Dell, Coca-Cola, and the Motorola Foundation. For more information on CDI, please visit www.cdi.org.br/.

About Shabakat

Headquartered in Jordan, Shabakat is a nonprofit organization with a mission to drive and implement transformational strategies that improve the economic and social well-being of local communities. Shabakat centers its strategies on local youth, who are enabled with technical, professional, and facilitation skills in order to empower people, build communities of practice, and incubate initiatives that respond to their community needs through the integration of information and communication technologies in their day-to-day lives.

About Thompson & Knight

Established in 1887, Thompson & Knight is a full-service firm providing legal solutions to public and private companies, governments, and individuals in all areas, including commercial and tort litigation, finance, banking, securities, mergers and acquisitions, taxation, intellectual property, corporate governance, creditors rights, real estate, labor, white collar defense, and environmental matters, among others. We are particularly recognized for our depth of experience and capabilities on behalf of clients in the energy industry, both domestically and around the world. Thompson & Knight has approximately 350 attorneys with offices in Texas and New York and international offices and associations in the Americas, North Africa, Europe, and Asia.

For additional information:
Becky S. Jackson
Chief Client Services Officer
Thompson & Knight LLP
One Arts Plaza
1722 Routh Street, Suite 1500
Dallas, TX 75201-2533
214.969.1478