Environmental, Social and Governance Annual Report 2024
Making a difference, together…
Progress through partnership.
As a people-focussed and ambitious Top 100 law firm, we exist to unlock potential and create a lasting positive impact for our clients, colleagues and communities. Our purpose is what drives our business forward. It’s our guiding principle. And it’s why our clients trust us to be their life-long legal partner.
With this in mind, we are pleased to share our latest Annual ESG Report, showcasing how we are striving to make a positive difference, our performance against key metrics and stories from our colleagues and client communities who remain at the heart of what we do.
We are proud of the continued progress we are making with our sustainability commitments and will keep pushing ourselves to deliver better outcomes; supporting our clients, colleagues and communities to thrive.
This report is also available as a PDF download.
– Graham Street, Managing Partner
Our ESG Framework explains the commitments we make to our colleagues, clients and communities; ensuring we operate responsibly and sustainably, while holding ourselves accountable for the progress we’re making.
Section One: Supporting our colleagues, clients and communities
Our culture strives to develop talent, deliver exceptional service for our clients, and support the communities we operate in.
People are at the heart of our culture. We recognise, respect and value our differences, knowing that these differences allow us to serve our clients with greater integrity and authenticity. We are proud to support our local communities, using our expertise and resources to make a real difference.
Our priorities for 2024/2025…
Measure and monitor colleague engagement, supporting our positive culture of diversity, inclusion and wellbeing.
Create opportunities for our people to develop themselves aligned to clear and consistent career and succession pathways.
Forge alliances with key clients & referrers, developing a framework to capture and respond to their feedback.
Support our colleagues to build meaningful relationships with our wider communities, client groups, Community Foundations and flagship charities through volunteering, charitable giving and pro bono opportunities.
"A key part of our culture is about supporting colleagues to drive their careers by offering a wide range of development opportunities and helping them to achieve their aspirations and professional ambitions. As a result, I’m delighted that we have promoted over 31 colleagues this year across our legal and business services teams."
"Results from our most recent annual engagement survey are testament to our inclusive and supportive culture, including our outstanding eNPS score of +30. We’re proud to say that 80% of colleagues agree they feel proud to work here; 85% of colleagues agree that our firm treats everybody with dignity and respect and 82% of colleagues feel comfortable bringing their whole self to work."
"We recognise that our lawyers are often involved with complex and potentially traumatic cases. To prioritise the wellbeing and professional development of our colleagues, we now offer regular independent supervision sessions to our Injury, Private Client and Family teams, supporting them to process stressful cases and look after themselves while doing the best for their clients."
Supporting diverse talent.
We remain on a journey to increase diversity across our organisation because we know that nurturing diverse talent will help to make our firm, industry and society more inclusive, and make us a great place to work.
We continue to empower colleagues and support gender diversity by offering flexible hybrid working, family friendly and wellbeing policies to ensure our people feel supported at each stage of their life and career. We are well ahead of industry benchmarks, with 48% of our Partners identifying as female, and we’re proud signatories of the Women in Law pledge.
As part of our commitment to nurturing diverse talent, we are also proud to have a long-established internal mentoring scheme, which is successful in supporting colleagues from all demographics to drive towards their career ambitions. This year, we have expanded on this to launch an exciting new external facing mentoring programme. Our Thrive programme focusses on supporting the next generation of talented Black lawyers, pairing our legal professionals with students from traditionally under-represented groups, so that every student can fulfil their potential regardless of their background.
My regular meetings with my mentor have provided me with the unique opportunity to have one-on-one sessions with a solicitor at the top of her field. Thrive distinguishes itself from other schemes as it connects those at the very beginning of their legal journeys to those at the very top of their careers. Through it, I have not only grown in my professional and technical knowledge, but also in my personal development. It is truly a mentorship scheme that seeks to see you thrive.”
– Orafiri Philemon, Thrive Mentee
Thrive gave me an opportunity to connect with a very experienced partner who gave me guidance and knowledge in commercial law, essentially giving me an advantage over my peers. Through these experiences, I gained confidence and accelerated my professional development. As a result, I obtained my first legal role as a Legal Assistant in the Commercial Dispute Resolution team at RWK Goodman. RWK Goodman truly is a firm that strives to make a difference. If you are from an under-represented/ethnic minority background with a passion for law and need guidance, I honestly recommend signing up!”
– Princess Young, Legal Assistant and Thrive Mentee
Clients and collaborations
Our ESG work often extends beyond our own direct reach. We’re pleased to work with a variety of organisations, helping them to make a real impact.
Raising the profile of disability sport.
We believe in equal opportunities and inclusion for all, something also championed by the communities involved in disability sport.
This year, we partnered with the Bristol City Cerebral Palsy Football team for their Festival of Football. An opportunity for children across Europe who live with cerebral palsy to come together and compete within a fun, safe and inclusive environment, and the first event on this scale hosted in England.
Our volunteer ambassadors supported the festival with a range of activities, including helping to welcome and orientate players and families and facilitating the smooth running of the event. They also had the opportunity to connect with families in need of legal help, giving them access to quality legal support for the future.
The event was a tremendous success. A showcase for what children with disabilities can achieve, and a message to the families that they don’t need to walk this path alone. A perfect distillation of our values.
Supporting those affected by brain injury.
Our work also enables us to engage authentically with client communities to make a difference that goes beyond legal aid.
Over the last 13 years, we have been supporting The Silverlining Brain Injury Charity, which was established in 2007 to improve the quality of life for those affected by brain injury and their friends and families. Their crucial work engages brain injured people with the wider community to help build their confidence and motivate them to discover a sense of purpose through new activities, challenges and friendships.
Our Injury division continues to support Silverlining in numerous ways; from hosting events and raising funds, through to challenge events, providing legal support and meeting spaces. We also help to raise awareness for the charity through our annual Ahead Together conference, which brings together professionals and family members who are going through the changes of an acquired brain injury; as well as hugely memorable fashion shows, giving Silverliners the chance to hit the runway to raise funds and awareness.
You can find out more about our work with Silverlining and the difference the charity is making in this story, featuring Tracy Norris-Evans, Head of our Injury division.
Bringing it to life… Spotlight on our Community Foundations
As a firm, we have a long and proud history of supporting Community Foundations. Relying on donations from organisations and individuals, the network provides grants to various projects and organisations. Helping to improve local communities. Across our regions, we now hold funds worth over £300K which continue to be used to support projects that make a difference.
“We are proud of our long-standing relationships with our Community Foundations. Not only is this a great opportunity to support local initiatives, but it also enables us to make a genuine difference knowing that our contributions are being given to worthwhile local causes.” – Rob Collins, Partner and Wiltshire Community Foundation Relationship Lead
This year, we have also launched a new pro bono policy, formalising the process for taking part in pro bono work and making it easier than ever for colleagues to take part in work that supports our local communities and means something special to them.
This role involves assessing grant applications from grassroots community organisations across Oxfordshire, such as registered charities, social enterprises, CICs and CIOs, addressing a range of social and community issues. So far, I have been involved in one grant making round, the Better Mental Health grant scheme, which aligned nicely with my role as a member of the firm’s Wellbeing Committee and a Mental Health First Aider.
I had five applications allocated to assess and it was really interesting to find out about the work that lots of these small community organisations and projects are doing and the impact they are having in the local area. RWK Goodman also offers colleagues two paid volunteering days each year, making it easier to get involved with causes that support our local communities and supporting us to balance this around home and work commitments.”
– Charlotte Ebbutt, Senior Associate in our Corporate Team
Section Two: Driving towards carbon zero
We recognise that our firm will have a direct and indirect impact on our local, regional, and global environment.
As a forward-thinking firm, we are prioritising 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.
We continue to focus on embracing sustainability across all aspects of our operations and supply chain, also supporting colleagues to understand the role they can play in contributing to positive change.
Our priorities for 2024/2025…
Raise awareness and understanding of our environmental commitments and support colleagues to make positive choices.
“Digital First” approach to drive innovation and reduce our environmental impact.
Annual energy audits to measure improvements against baseline data.
Improved supply chain governance to reduce scope 3 emissions, and carbon reduction actions to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions, with a target of achieving net zero by 2030.
Our Highlights...
“In line with our commitment to sustainability, we’re focussed on driving a ‘Digital First’ approach across our firm. As part of our recent rebrand, we offered colleagues new digital business cards to replace outdated paper business cards. These are made from recyclable material and work using NFC technology, allowing colleagues to transfer their contact details directly onto any smartphone, with a simple tap. We’re also moving towards digital signage and posters to engage colleagues internally, while reducing the amount of waste we create.” – Mark Stubberfield, Director of Marketing and Business Development
“Here at RWK Goodman, we’ve made it our mission to not only keep our IT equipment current, but to do so in a way that aligns with our commitment to sustainability. We’re proud to offer colleagues high-quality 2nd Life IT equipment. Our refurbished computers are not only high-spec machines that meet all our needs, but are also a statement that we’re actively choosing to reuse perfectly good equipment, allowing us to extend its lifespan rather than contribute to the growing problem of electronic waste. Whenever we upgrade our IT equipment, we ensure it doesn’t end up in landfill, instead donating it to charities, hospitals, and schools, giving the equipment a third life and further reducing the environmental footprint.” – Dave Eagle, Director of IT
Bringing it to life… Office of the future
Our expansion into central Bristol this year represented an exciting step for our firm, showcasing our commitment to growth across the South West.
With the launch of our new office space, sustainability was a top priority. We wanted to reduce our carbon footprint wherever possible, so continued to reuse and recycle furniture we already had to create a new, fresh look. We’ve continued to ensure all our energy comes from renewable sources, and that energy-efficient LED lightbulbs are used in all our lighting.
As well as workspaces and meeting rooms, the innovative office gives colleagues access to a range of communal facilities on site, such as an amphitheatre style presentation space, an onsite café, gym, and access to a large communal outdoor terrace. Prioritising the needs of our colleagues and clients, all without compromising our commitment to the environment. – Mark Jones, Chief Operating Officer
Section Three: Ensuring transparency and accountability
Our ESG objectives make sure our leaders are visible and accountable, ensuring our committees have clear roles and responsibilities.
Aligned to our ESG framework and growth strategy, our governance structure ensures transparency and accountability for our stakeholders. Each of our committees has clear roles and responsibilities; including providing regular reporting to enable us to track our progress against ESG metrics. By ensuring our leaders are visible and accountable, we can engage our people and clients in our sustainability journey.
Our priorities for 2024/2025…
Continue to monitor progress towards achieving our ESG targets aligned to our firmwide strategy and business plan, and clearly communicating progress to all stakeholders.
Ensure our culture builds long-term value by embedding it into all aspects of our work and processes, ensuring colleagues and Partners engage with and live our values.
Continue to proactively manage risks and opportunities to ensure we meet legislative requirements and regulatory standards.
Some facts about RWK Goodman…
With offices across the South of England and a total headcount of 585, RWK Goodman is one of the UK’s fastest growing law firms.
In the last full financial year, the firm achieved revenue of £53m, making it the 88th largest law firm in the UK (The Lawyer Top 100 2024).
More than a third of our Partners were recognised this year by Chambers UK as leaders in their field.
Bringing it to life… Creating a culture of positive performance.
We have recently worked to refine our vision of what a high-performing culture means for our firm and how this can support our people and business to thrive.
As a result of this work, we are implementing a bespoke organisational development programme across our business, designed to embed our purpose and values and evolve our culture; enhance our structure, leadership and management capabilities; and deliver fair and transparent recognition and reward for our people.
We see this as being a key part of our Governance commitment. By investing in our people, we ensure our firm remains well-positioned for long term growth and success. – Amanda Dow, HR Director
The progress we’re making - Performance against key metrics
Our metrics for 2023-24 allow us to measure the progress we have made towards our ESG commitments when compared with the previous year.
Overall, the Carbon footprint per employee now stands at 14 TCO2e. Operational changes – including more production hours and an increase in employees working in the office – have seen our commuting levels (+15%) and on-site energy consumption (+28.5%) rise. Our on-site energy consumption was also affected by our full office refurbishment in Bath and fit-out of our new office in Bristol. The refurbishment, and consolidation of two offices in Bath into one, will save energy in the future as well as improving the working environment. The rises are offset by the reduction in emissions derived from home working (-34.18%), and more employees making green commuting choices (+5%).
Several other environmental initiatives have also been successful, including reducing waste generated, focusing on digital methods of communication, and encouraging green alternatives for business travel:
- General waste generated has reduced by 3.6 TCO2 (-5.25%)
- Confidential waste reduced by 35.38%
- Business travel emissions reduced by 31.67%
- Paper consumption reduced by 1.59%
We’re pleased with the progress we are making, but recognise the importance of making further efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and keep raising awareness of key initiatives with colleagues to achieve our ESG goals.
| Environment | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
| Electricity consumption kWh | 618,791 | 718,180 |
| Electricity consumption (tCO2) | 122 | 155 |
| Renewable electricity consumption (%) | 90% | 90% |
| Gas consumption (tCO2) | 2 | 2.59 |
| General waste generated (tCO2) | 65 | 61.4 |
| Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services (Tonnes CO2) | 6,775 | 7,728 |
| Carbon Footprint per employee (tCO2e) | 13 | 14 |
| Green commuting (% of Total journeys) | 49% | 54% |
| Commuting total (tCO2) | 154 | 177 |
| Commuting per employee (tCO2e) | 0.28 | 0.32 |
| Homeworking total (tCO2) | 237 | 156 |
| Carbon Footprint per employee (Homeworking) (tCO2e) | 0.43 | 0.29 |
| Paper consumption (Office based)(sheets) | 3,133,353 | 3,083,638 |
| Paper consumption per FTE | 5,625 | 5,648 |
| Paper consumption per £ revenue | 0.06 | 0.006 |
| Confidential waste collected and recycled (Tonnes) | 24 | 15.6 |
| Business travel emissions (tCO2) | 76 | 52 |
| Business travel emissions (tCO2e) | 0.14 | 0.10 |
| Social | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
| Employee Engagement – I feel proud to work here (% favourable) | 79% | 88% |
| eNPS – How likely are you to recommend our firm as a good place to work | 29 | 30 |
| Promotions to Associate/Senior Associate | 9 | 22 |
| Promotions to Salaried/Equity Partner | 11 | 8 |
| Staff Turnover | 20% | 15% |
| Professional Deputyships/Trustee appointments | 225 | 225 |
| Volunteering Days used | 105 | 32 |
| Volunteering participation (% of total workforce) | 15% | 4.60% |
| Community engagement/Pro Bono hours | Commentary available | Commentary available |
| Donations to charities and Community Foundations (£) | 132,382 | 214,964 |
| Governance | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
| Total number of employees | 570 | 583 |
| *FTE | 557 | 546 |
| Part time workers | 132 | 134 |
| Part time workers (%) | 24% | 23% |
| Total number of Partners | 104 | 101 |
| Female Partners | 49% | 48% |
| Ethnicity representation workforce (%) | 12% | 19% |
| Ethnicity representation Partners (%) | 9% | 8% |
| Revenue (£m) | 53,000,000 (12 months) | 50,350,000 (11 months) |
| Profit before taxation (£m) | 11,600,000 (12 months) | 10,100,000 (11 months) |
| Lawyer UK 100 ranking | 78 | 88 |
| Partners recognised by Chambers UK | 35 | 37 |
| Members of Partnership Committee | 9 | 10 |
| Female members of Partnership Committee | 33% | 40% |
| ESG objectives actively managed | Yes | Yes |
| Quality Accreditations | 3 | 4 |
You can download a PDF version of the RWK Goodman Environmental, Social and Governance Annual Report 2024 by following the link below.