Our Environmental, Social and Governance Strategy
Making a difference, together...
What ESG means to us...
While ESG covers a broad range of topics, at its core, we believe it is all about making a positive difference.
Whether it be improving our environment, or supporting our colleagues, clients and communities; as a forward-thinking and people-focussed firm, we are committed to acting responsibly and engaging authentically to deliver better outcomes. Our ESG commitments are more than words on a page. They are part of our culture, enabling us to drive real actions, with real purpose, that have real impact.
While we continue to make great strides, our ambitious nature keeps us focussed on innovating to do better and be better. By delivering on our commitments below, we know we will not only achieve our vision and business targets, but also support our clients, colleagues and communities to thrive.
Environment – Driving towards carbon zero
Environment - Driving towards carbon zero
We recognise that our firm may have a direct and indirect impact on our local, regional and global environment.
As part of our environmental commitment, we will focus on embracing sustainability across all aspects of our operations and supply chain and supporting our colleagues to contribute to positive change. As a forward-thinking firm, we will prioritise raising awareness of key environmental issues and encouraging innovation in our working practices, to have a positive impact on the environment, without compromising the quality of service we deliver.
Our commitments:
- Target net zero by 2030.
- Our people are aware of environmental impact and responsibilities.
- Annual energy audits measure improvements against baseline data.
- Supply chain governance reduces scope 3 emissions.
- "Digital First" to minimise resource consumption.
- Carbon reduction actions reduces scope 1 and 2 emissions.
We are measuring our success through:
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Environmental scorecards/ benchmarking.
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Scope 1 and 2 measurements.
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Scope 3 measurements.
We are members of The Legal Sustainability Alliance. The only not-for-profit sustainability network run by law firms for law firms. The LSA has been leading the way in sustainability for UK based law firms since its inception in 2007. During that time firms have moved from measuring and managing their carbon emissions to committing to Net Zero by putting sustainability at the heart of their businesses.
"For over a decade, all energy used across our offices has come from renewable sources."
Social - Supporting our colleagues, clients and communities
We’re proud of our dynamic and inclusive culture which enables our colleagues and communities to thrive.
By creating this culture internally, we nurture the best talent, which means as well as delivering an exceptional service for our clients, we can also support the wider communities we operate in.
Our commitments:
- Diversity and inclusion promoted at all levels within our business.
- Partner and staff engagement measured/monitored at least annually.
- Creating a positive culture that supports Partner and Employee wellbeing.
- Frameworks capture and respond to client & referrer feedback.
- Local charities and wider communities supported (including Pro Bono).
- Career and succession pathways provide clarity and consistency of expectations.
We are measuring our success through:
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Annual engagement survey.
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Measuring and reporting NPS.
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HR data including diversity stats and Gender/Ethnic/Diversity and Pay Gap data.
"Together, our firm has contributed over £242,000 for our flagship charities and local causes...and counting!"
Governance – Ensuring transparency and accountability
Our governance structure will be key to achieving our ESG objectives, making sure our leaders are visible and accountable, ensuring our committees have clear roles and responsibilities, and helping colleagues understand how they can contribute.
We will evolve our existing CSR Committee structure into a new ESG Steering Committee to provide governance and reporting. Through regular reporting, we will be able to demonstrate we are meeting our goals, allowing us to monitor our progress and keep pushing for even better outcomes.
Our commitments:
- Stakeholders engage, live the firm’s values.
- Firm strategy/culture is effective and builds value over medium/long term.
- ESG objectives/targets achieved.
- Effective management of risks and opportunities.
- Performance aligns to firm strategy and business plan objectives.
- All legislative requirements and regulatory standards achieved.
We are measuring our success through:
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Organisational and strategic clarity.
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ESG benchmarking and metrics.
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SRA Standards/Quality Accreditations.
"We’re proud to have been ranked in Legal 500 across 22 practice areas, with multiple colleagues achieving individual rankings as ‘leading lawyers’, ‘next generation partners’ and ‘rising stars’"
