Corporate social responsibility

We recognise the importance of the community in which we work and our responsibility to contribute to it in a positive way.

In the wider world we understand the importance of managing our business in a sustainable and responsible manner. Our aim is to practise what we preach. We seek to involve ourselves directly in projects and initiatives which use to best effect the skills and energies that we have within the firm and this is not limited to giving legal advice.

We attempt to limit our impact on the environment by understanding the pressures we all face and implementing considered and considerate policies. We believe that we can make a difference and we are committed to doing so.

The workplace

We regard our staff highly. Our reputation relies on the qualities of the people that make up the firm.

We believe that the workplace should be challenging and rewarding but above all enjoyable. We are proud that we provide employment opportunities for a significant number of people with a range of skills. We welcome diversity in all its forms. We have a tradition of valuing the benefit of the individual.

We do not encourage conformity for its own sake but rather prize the colour and interest that a wide spectrum of characters provides. Fairness and respect are our core values and nowhere are these more important than in the workplace.

Our community

We have long fostered and encouraged a direct involvement in local charitable and community groups. In some cases the links have very established roots. Members of the firm at all levels play an active role in the running of a large number of local charitable and voluntary organisations.

On a wider scale several members of the firm have a direct involvement with charities providing schools and education in third world countries, particularly Africa and India. We are members of the Suffolk and Norfolk branches of the Pro-Help Group, one of many schemes created by the “Business in the Community” organisation. The aim is to provide a broad range of professional services to locally based charities and the voluntary sector free of charge and the group’s members include local firms of solicitors, accountants, surveyors and a host of other professionals.

We also participate in a local pro-bono initiative with the object of providing legal assistance and support to small local groups principally concerned with the interests of ethnic minorities and the disadvantaged.

Charitable giving – the Birketts fund

Our charitable giving is focussed on providing support to voluntary and community groups in Suffolk and Norfolk whose primary aim is to improve the quality of people’s lives. The Fund is administered by the Suffolk Foundation and the Norfolk Community Foundation and grants are awarded twice a year by a committee comprising a cross-section of staff and partners of the firm.

The environment

We are committed to:

• minimising waste production and ensuring the efficient use of our resources;
• complying with all current environmental legislation; addressing environmental issues within our normal operating procedures and ensuring continuous improvement in environmental performance;
• promoting energy efficiency;
• integrating environmental issues with all aspects of decision making within the firm;
• promoting environmental awareness and responsibility amongst our employees.