Corporate social responsibility
'Giving Back' is the name we have chosen for Stephenson Harwood's corporate responsibility programme. It reflects our commitment to excellence in corporate citizenship and is an important part of our firm's overall strategy.
Our programme has three strands – workplace, community and environment - and covers activities which range from pro bono work for community advice centres, support for domestic and international charities and internal measures aimed at reducing our environmental impact.
Current initiatives include the following:
- 'Lawyers in Schools' we take part in this long-established programme run by the Citizenship Foundation where lawyers work with young people in the classroom to develop their understanding of the law.
- City Solicitors' Educational Trust - we volunteer at the CSET's summer school, a one-week training event for university students to introduce them to the commercial world.
- Careers Academy UK - we take part in two schemes through the Careers Academy: a 'Partner in Business' mentoring scheme and an internship scheme. Members of our teams are paired with students from Lewisham college, with the aim of raising the aspirations of 16-19 year olds considering a career in business.
- Citizens' advice centre - our lawyers volunteer at local citizens' advice and law centres.
- Recycling programme - our internal recycling and energy saving programme was recognised by the City of London Corporation Clean City Awards in 2009 with one of their prized gold awards.
Where possible, we also participate in our clients' initiatives. Past examples have included involvement in a pioneering forestry conservation project and support for art education in Kenya.