To highlight best practice and innovation in social responsibility and community engagement, the judges looked for original ideas and significant outcomes from initiatives across the spectrum, from small-scale community involvement to large-scale pro bono projects. Open to all in the legal sector.
What impressed the judges most about Eversheds was the sheer breadth and depth of their community investment activities. Whether it was pro bono work, public legal education or non-legal volunteering, training, work placements, fundraising or gifts in kind, their whole program is strategic; delivered measurable results; and got everyone throughout the firm thoroughly engaged and involved. This provides a huge range of opportunities to develop staff, enabling them to contribute to their local communities. It has also produced long term sustainable partnerships for projects which receive year round support.
As the first firm to produce an independently verified corporate responsibility report
covering all their international offices, Freshfields has not only demonstrated a broad
and successful range of CSR initiatives, it has also taken a bold step in identifying areas
for improvement and setting targets. Their approach demonstrates clear leadership in
reporting and transparency and shows that their activity is not cosmetic.
1 Pump Court has demonstrated its commitment to serving the poor and disadvantaged
extends beyond its core business of acting for publicly funded individuals. Voluntary
activities range from engaging clients in fundraising to provide pre-school facilities for
a community in South Africa, to the provision of pro bono advice, to offering free legal
training in specialist fields to solicitors, other advisers, campaigners and their client groups.
Addleshaw Goddard is to be commended for the ambitious scale of its community
investment activity engaging 40 per cent of the firm in a huge range of projects over
a single week of the year. The use of a high-profile week to engage staff, linking
volunteering with their bonus scheme and engaging clients on projects, demonstrates a
genuine commitment to ensuring sustainable community investment is firmly integrated
into their business.
The judges recognised the development of Cripps Harries Hall’s CSR policy as the
product of thoughtful staff consultation and engagement resulting in a strong culture of
volunteering and community investment activities. One of their initiatives - a literacy
programme established at a local school - has yielded significant improvements in the
confidence and attainment of over 50 per cent of the pupils during its short trial period.
Hopkin Murray Beskine has developed an innovative shared online diary system which
links a network of advice and support providers, ensuring that a client seeking legal
advice around domestic violence can also be efficiently referred for support on
welfare benefits, immigration, housing and ancillary services. As well as providing for
the fullest possible range of client needs, local agencies are supported by improved
communications.
Developed with the Citizenship Foundation, Lawyers in Schools provides multiple benefits
to the children involved, from an increased understanding about their legal rights and
responsibilities to improved reasoning and articulation skills. By making the model
available to others within the profession, Linklaters has enabled its impact to extend
broadly and secured impressive feedback from teachers, students and volunteers.