Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is claiming to have become the first
international law firm to publish a corporate social responsibility
report.
The document, which contains an external commentary by the UK-based
Corporate Citizenship Company, concentrates mainly on the law company’s
London operations, but will be expanded to cover the entire firm by
2007, when it is also expected to be fully verified.
The report includes new pledges to introduce a mentoring scheme for
female associates to increase the number of women partners at the firm,
and to change all energy contracts to renewable sources, cut down on
paper use and reduce air travel.
It shows that 35 per cent of Freshfields staff in London took part in
community activities in 2004, spending more than 22,000 hours on
community work. The company gave £2.3million ($4m) in time, cash and
gifts in kind in
2004/05 and 327 of its employees worked on homeless projects in London.
Freshfields has 515 partners and 2463 lawyers working in 28 offices in
18 countries.
