Deploying our skills for positive impact

The last, extraordinary, 18 months have shown more than ever the interconnectedness of the health and wealth of society – of companies, businesses, individuals, communities and the environment.

The COVID-19 crisis has put charities, community organisations and vulnerable individuals under unimaginable stress and strain. Many vital frontline organisations, already on the brink of collapse, have found themselves placed in an more even precarious situation, as vulnerable people everywhere are relying on charitable donations, voluntary services and neighbourly goodwill to survive. Working alongside our clients during these challenging times, we have come to appreciate even better the ways in which an advisory business like ours can continue to make a positive contribution to society. As a Firm, we acknowledge that it is no longer enough just to talk about the activities we carry out. Rather, we must take an even more structured and strategic approach. It is hugely important to us that we continuously measure the progress of our social impact work and hold ourselves accountable. In line with this thinking, we were delighted to launch the Charles Russell Speechlys Foundation last autumn. As explained in this section, working with the Foundation has allowed us to be more effective in deploying the time and skills of our passionate and committed volunteers and lawyers through our Community Investment work and Pro Bono practice. As Chair and a Trustee of the Foundation, I have worked closely with my fellow Trustees to identify the first cohort of its charity partners. The organisations chosen are tackling a range of social issues that would be extremely challenging in ordinary times, let alone during a pandemic, and we are proud of the close relationships that we as a Firm are building with these important partners of the Foundation. We also continue to develop our partnerships with other key organisations in our communities, from launching new initiatives with frontline legal advice clinics, to building on relationships with referral partners such as the Social Business Trust to continue to support charities and social enterprises striving to achieve change for their respective beneficiaries. I am delighted to share just a few examples of the social impact work our Firm has done over the past year.