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CSR
1. Our community values
1.1 A strong desire to be a socially and environmentally responsible business underpins our core values of teamwork, respect, integrity and fairness.
1.2 Our people are encouraged actively to participate in our corporate responsibility programme and partners are expected to lead by example. Active and enthusiastic participation in the programme is considered to be a positive indicator when we assess our people's performance.
2. Our community commitments
2.1 We are committed to:
2.1.1 having a positive impact upon the lives of all those who work for or who come into contact with us whether as owners of the business, employees, clients or suppliers;
2.1.2 being a responsible member of the community locally, nationally and worldwide;
2.1.3operating an environmentally sustainable business that aims to reduce its carbon foot print every year; and
2.1.4 promoting the rule of law, the proper administration of justice and the values, reputation, integrity and independence of the legal profession worldwide through our work as lawyers and through our legal skills and connections.
3. Our commitment to our stakeholders
3.1 All our stakeholders (employees, clients, suppliers and alumni) contribute in some way to the success of our business and we value their support. We hope our stakeholders will play their part in helping us achieve our goal of being a socially responsible and environmentally friendly business over the long term.
3.2 We strive always to be a good employer, to provide our people with a friendly and safe working environment and to treat our people fairly and with respect. Because we recognise that diversity supports and strengthens our culture and contributes to our success, we operate an inclusive business that welcomes and supports difference and that encourages input from all sections of society and all perspectives.
3.3 Our aim is always to provide our clients with a quality service in a friendly manner applying the highest standards of professionalism and ethics. We try to treat our suppliers ethically and fairly and we aim to form long term relationships with them for our mutual benefit. We like to remain in contact with our alumni and they are always welcome to participate with us in our community activities
4. Our commitment to the community
4.1 We support a wide range of non-legal causes and projects of a social, community and environmental nature, locally, nationally and worldwide. Click here to see examples of some of the good causes and charitable projects we support.
4.2 We have a CSR Committee whose members come from all areas of the firm. The Committee directs and supports our non-legal community activities. It also makes recommendations to the Managing Partner as to the distribution of the firm's annual budget for good causes and charitable donations.
4.3 Every year the CSR Committee extends an invitation to all our people to nominate goods causes or worthwhile projects which are close to them or which they believe are particularly deserving of support, for the firm to support in the year ahead. Such causes or projects may be, but are not required to be, charitable causes or projects. Everyone in the firm gets to vote on which of the nominated causes or projects should be selected for support in the year ahead. Normally four causes or projects are chosen for support every year. Sometimes one of the four is chosen as the lead cause or project but not always.
4.4 The firm donates money to the lead cause or project, and sometimes also to the other three causes and projects, out of its budget for good causes. In addition, once every three months, we hold a 'charity day' which supports one of the chosen causes or projects. On each charity day, everyone in the firm participates in a range of money making activities in office hours to raise money for the chosen cause or project. The partners match the amount of money raised by the firm's members so the charity gets double the sum donated by the firm's members. Some of our people also support the chosen causes and projects in other ways and at other times, including by donating their time or expertise to the cause or project outside firm time.
4.5 We support a mentoring charity, the Social Mobility Foundation, which finds work experience for young people from socially disadvantaged sections of society. We provides work experience to young people who participate in the scheme. The programme is designed to give them experience of several different aspects of our business - both legal services and back-office operations. Separately from the work experience we also offer career advice and advice on presentation skills to young people who participate in the scheme.
5. Our commitment to the environment
5.1 We wish the environment to be kept clean and healthy and for the world's natural resources to be managed responsibly and sustainably for the long term. We believe that a clean environment and responsibly managed resources benefit not only our own people but all mankind. We consider that 'green' initiatives will enhance the performance of our business rather than degrade it.
5.2 We regard environmental issues as a collective responsibility, and we intend to play our part in preserving, protecting and managing the environment. We try to reduce our environmental impact and carbon foot print year on year, and we encourage others, including our people and our suppliers, to do likewise.
6. Our commitment to the legal profession
6.1 We believe that the rule of law, the proper administration of justice and the existence of an independent legal profession are the foundation stones of a just and fair society. However, we recognise that legal rights are only of any use if they are known, if they can be enforced effectively and if they can be adjudicated upon competently and impartially within a reasonable period of time after due legal process has been followed. Thus we acknowledge that as lawyers we can play an important role in the lives of others and in society generally for the good of everyone, and we try always to do justice to the responsibilities that come with being a member of the legal profession.
6.2 In particular, we are committed to: upholding the rule of law; following due legal process; promoting the concept of universal human rights; facilitating access to justice for people in need; and maintaining the reputation, integrity and independence of the legal profession worldwide.
