Corporations increasingly subscribe to the principle of corporate social responsibility. CSR is primarily based on the belief that a demonstration of concern for the environment, human rights, community development and the welfare of their workers can make a corporation more lucrative. And if not additional lucrative, at least a superior spot to perform.
Law firms can find out from corporate practical experience to make their personal social responsibility programs. Such programs can assistance law firms to do well by performing fantastic. They can strengthen the firm’s reputation and market place position. They can aid the firm recognize with the culture and CSR activities of clients and possible consumers. They can aid lawyers and employees find much more meaning in their perform and improve as human beings.
In the words of the social responsibility Karma Committee at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck: Be kind. Be generous. Be concerned. Donate time. Donate effort. Donate income. Just come across a cause and give. You’ll promptly discover providing is also receiving.
A panel discussion about how law firms can understand about CSR and introduce some of its components into their personal models was sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Legal Marketing and advertising Association. The program was held May possibly eight at Maggiano’s Small Italy in downtown Denver.
Panelists included Sarah Hogan, vice president of Barefoot PR Bruce DeBoskey, lawyer and founder of The DeBoskey Group, which focuses on philanthropic advising Joyce Witte, Community Investment Advisor and director of the Encana Cares Foundation, Encana Oil & Gas (USA) and Amy Venturi, director of community relations & karma at Brownstein. Moderator was Cori Plotkin, president of Barefoot PR.
At law firms, the product is the people today – the lawyers and help staff who deliver higher high-quality legal services. It is an straightforward fit. There are numerous approaches that this ‘product’ can contribute time, talent and treasure to socially responsible activities.
Social duty: Concentrate and strategy
Law firm social responsibility is all about creating a difference inside the community and the profession, and inside a firm. Even the greatest efforts will make no effect if spread also thin. You cannot maximize the value of your contributions or tell your story if your efforts are also diluted. To make a decision how to most efficiently invest its sources, a law firm demands a social responsibility focus and a method.
Social responsibility efforts have to be authentic. Law firms and other entities need to normally stay clear of ‘green-washing’ – telling a story that is aspirational, but not actually accurate. Know your self. Let your firm’s special culture and abilities ascertain which efforts to pursue and which to avoid.
When examining your culture, don’t limit oneself to partner input. Law firms are smaller communities, just about like families. Any work to define culture and social duty must represent not only the interests of lawyers, but the interests of all levels of assistance staff. Efforts have to be meaningful throughout the firm. The advantages to employee recruitment, retention and satisfaction can be exceptional.
DeBoskey outlined 3 forms of community involvement and stated his belief that a superior social responsibility program contains components of all 3.
In a standard model, an organization ‘gives back’ randomly to the neighborhood when asked – as a very good citizen, rather than for any strategic purposes. In a social duty model, these efforts align with the capabilities of the organization – like the legal skills of lawyers. Every non-profit demands legal tips.
At it’s most sophisticated, a social duty program entails employing your core product – legal services – as a tool for social transform. Volunteer with organizations like the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, or the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center.
A powerful concentrate makes it considerably less difficult to make choices. Encana, for instance, focuses its charitable giving technique on difficulties surrounding its solution — all-natural gas. Brownstein will donate revenue only if the request comes from a client, or if one particular of their attorneys is a member of the organization and on the board.
Law firms searching for more tips can locate useful sources within the Corporate Neighborhood Investment Network. CCIN is an association for pros whose major duty is to manage community investment programs in a for-profit business enterprise setting.
Quite a few corporations and a couple of law firms have really made separate foundations to mange some of their providing. A foundation comes with a lot more restrictions and diverse tax solutions. As entities with a life of their own, having said that, foundations are extra probably than 1-off efforts to continue a valuable existence.
Social responsibility: Excellent policies make very good decisions
Strategy and concentrate give the foundation for an powerful social duty policy. Most law firms are inundated with requests from superior causes asking for their assistance. A policy assists you know when to say “yes” to and when to say “no.”
In the law firm model, exactly where all partners are owners with a sense of entitlement to sources, it can be pretty complicated to say no. A keenly focused policy tends to make it substantially less complicated to do so and keep the firm’s efforts on track.
Encana, for example, makes use of a five-step tool to identify the level of fit involving a request and the company’s strategic targets in the field of all-natural gas – with level 5 becoming the biggest commitment and level one particular the lowest.
Level five efforts integrate core item or service and normally involve natural gas autos and energy efficiency initiatives using organic gas. land use attorney contribute to finest practices and top trends in the industry, even though enhancing the company’s reputation as a leader.
Level 4 efforts focus on strategic partnerships and generally involve sustainable and extended-term solutions like workforce improvement initiatives, signature applications (which can be repeated in other markets) and multi-year grants.
Level 3 efforts include strategic grants to help with projects, applications or initiatives produced to local non-earnings aligned with organic gas.