Our place in the community, our commitment
We are committed to building on our CSR, creating an ESG strategy that takes our comprehensive CSR programme to the next level and that makes a difference to both our colleagues, and the communities in which we operate.
We pride ourselves on our inclusive working environment and as a business we have the responsibility to accomplish positive climate action and build a more sustainable, resilient future.
We already have an extensive programme focusing on the wellbeing of our colleagues and a strong history of fundraising and supporting our local communities.
We are deeply committed to ensuring our activities have a positive impact. Our focus for 2022 / 23, through our ESG steering committee and with the support of the Partnership Board, will be creating a strategy that takes our ongoing CSR programme to the next level and that makes a difference to both our colleagues and our communities. The starting point is initiating an extensive review of our current CSR activities and creating an ESG strategy that takes our comprehensive CSR programme to the next level.
Sponsorship
The Great Birketts Sleepout
The Big Oardeal
Birketts Charitable Fund
Birketts’ Charitable Fund was launched in 2006 and is administered by the Community Foundations in Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. This year we are delighted to say that in the previous financial year (2022-2023) we have distributed £67,120 to multiple charities, having a big impact on our local communities.
Pro bono hours
Birketts recorded 927.4 pro bono hours in 2022/2023.
East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH)
Birketts hosted local businesses and former Ryder Cup player Ronan Rafferty at their annual golf day in aid of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), raising than £20,000 for the charity.
Our Next Level ESG programme
We believe that by our actions we can make a difference and we are committed to doing so in the following ways:
- Conducting ourselves responsibly and in an ethical manner
- Creating a positive and supportive working environment for all our colleagues
- Supporting local communities and charitable organisations
- Acting fairly in our dealings with clients, suppliers and other third parties
- Minimising the impact we make on our environment
How we work
Environment
We involve ourselves in environmental, conservation and improvement projects and actively promote environmentally sound procedures and behaviours in our colleagues, amongst colleagues, clients, business partners and outsourced suppliers.
We aim to minimise our impact on the environment by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and decreasing our carbon emissions and footprint.
Social
Our people are the backbone of our business and at Birketts we are committed to building an inclusive culture that respects, supports and celebrates the diversity of all our colleagues.
The principles of diversity play an integral part in our recruitment and retention of trainees, lawyers and support staff and in the promotion of talented individuals within our practice. We publish a comprehensive document which details our diversity and inclusion journey.
We are an equal opportunities employer and base the criteria for selection on an applicant’s ability to perform a role to the required standard, irrespective of gender, age, marital or civil partner status, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, race, ethnic origin, disability, pregnancy, maternity, religion or religious beliefs.
Governance
As a law firm we are already subject to comprehensive governance and procedures. Birketts have been Lexcel accredited since 2001 and we work hard to maintain the Standard. It recognises a quality of service, above and beyond, the Law Society’s statutory conduct rules.
We are proud to be accredited with ISO 22301, ISO 27001, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
Find out more about our accreditations here.
Diversity and Inclusion
As we grow, we’ve been increasingly thinking about how to make sure we’re creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive environment for all our colleagues.
To help focus and measure our efforts in Diversity and Inclusion, we have prioritised 5 key work streams and identified associated practical actions and initiatives which we believe will make a real difference.
Five key work streams:
• Gender Diversity
• Social Mobility
• Inclusiveness
• Race and Ethnicity
• Mental health and Wellbeing