We are an international law firm, but we are firmly rooted in and connected to the local communities in which we live and work. As part of our Social Impact efforts, we are committed to:
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We want to attract and retain top talent and believe that everyone should have the opportunity to reach their maximum potential, regardless of personal circumstances.
It is from this basis that our many social mobility programmes aim to provide an opportunity to see the possibilities, to motivate and to provide the skills and experiences for young people from low socio-economic backgrounds. Our programmes are not exclusively for legal roles but also for roles in professional services more generally.
We are recognised as a business leader across sectors for our work in social mobility and inclusion, including being ranked 3rd in the UK Social Mobility Employer Index.
Some of our key social mobility programmes and initiatives include our Networked Scholarship Scheme, literacy programmes and language liaison scheme, being a founding member of PRIME in the UK and supporting the Centre 360 programme in Australia.
We are committed to advancing a culture of partnership and reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. In 2011, we launched our first of four Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs). Our two most recent RAPs received ‘Elevate’ status - the highest level of leadership endorsement by Reconciliation Australia.
Supporting First Nations communities has been a central pillar of our pro bono practice for many years and aligns with our commitment to diversity & inclusion.
Some of our supporting initiatives include our engagement in the CareerTrackers program. and our support for Towards Truth, a collaboration between the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and The University of New South Wales’s Indigenous Law Centre (ILC).
We support the amendment to enshrine a First Nations Voice in the Australian constitution, to be taken to a referendum in late 2023.
Our firm has publicly supported the call for a constitutionally enshrined Voice through support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart since 2019. Our second Elevate RAP, launched in September 2021, included a commitment to support the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander views and voices expressed with clarity, consistency and urgency in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
We acknowledge the diversity of views on this topic. Irrespective of our firm’s support for the amendment, each individual Australian voter will make up their own mind about how to vote on the day of the referendum.
We recognise needs and priorities can differ greatly among the communities and regions we operate in. Our community programme balances our global initiatives with the work of our local office-based community committees, who best understand the communities in which they live and work, an example being our Community Engagement Awards in India. And we support a range of charitable and community-based organisations, including our global charity partner Médecins Sans Frontières,
As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), we are committed to respecting internationally recognised human rights and conducting our activities in a manner that respects and supports the protection of human rights.
A key aspect of this work is our approach to reduce modern slavery and human trafficking risks across our operations. Our approach to minimise these risks include the assessment and monitoring of suppliers, modern slavery awareness training of key internal stakeholders, and continuous review. Further details on our approach can be found in our annual Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
Separate to these efforts, we also offer our clients business and human rights legal services.