Corporations increasingly subscribe to the principle of corporate social responsibility. CSR is primarily based on the belief that a demonstration of concern for the atmosphere, human rights, community development and the welfare of their personnel can make a corporation extra profitable. And if not extra profitable, at least a improved spot to operate.
Law firms can discover from corporate encounter to build their personal social duty programs. Such programs can support law firms to do nicely by carrying out superior. They can strengthen the firm’s reputation and industry position. They can assistance the firm identify with the culture and CSR activities of customers and potential clients. They can support lawyers and employees uncover extra meaning in their operate and improve as human beings.
In the words of the social responsibility Karma Committee at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck: Be sort. Be generous. Bard Mesh Lawsuit concerned. Donate time. Donate work. Donate funds. Just discover a cause and give. You’ll speedily uncover providing is also receiving.
A panel discussion about how law firms can understand about CSR and introduce some of its elements into their personal models was sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Legal Marketing and advertising Association. The system was held May eight at Maggiano’s Small Italy in downtown Denver.
Panelists incorporated Sarah Hogan, vice president of Barefoot PR Bruce DeBoskey, lawyer and founder of The DeBoskey Group, which focuses on philanthropic advising Joyce Witte, Neighborhood 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 item is the persons – the lawyers and assistance staff who supply high quality legal solutions. It is an straightforward fit. There are quite a few ways that this ‘product’ can contribute time, talent and treasure to socially responsible activities.
Social duty: Concentrate and approach
Law firm social duty is all about making a difference inside the community and the profession, and within a firm. Even the greatest efforts will make no impact if spread as well thin. You can’t maximize the value of your contributions or inform your story if your efforts are too diluted. To decide how to most correctly invest its resources, a law firm wants a social duty focus and a strategy.
Social responsibility efforts will have to be authentic. Law firms and other entities really should often stay away from ‘green-washing’ – telling a story that is aspirational, but not truly correct. Know yourself. Let your firm’s special culture and abilities identify which efforts to pursue and which to steer clear of.
When examining your culture, never limit oneself to partner input. Law firms are small communities, practically like families. Any effort to define culture and social responsibility should really represent not only the interests of lawyers, but the interests of all levels of support staff. Efforts should be meaningful throughout the firm. The positive aspects to employee recruitment, retention and satisfaction can be remarkable.
DeBoskey outlined 3 varieties of neighborhood involvement and stated his belief that a superior social duty strategy involves components of all three.
In a standard model, an organization ‘gives back’ randomly to the neighborhood when asked – as a superior citizen, rather than for any strategic purposes. In a social duty model, these efforts align with the capabilities of the business enterprise – like the legal capabilities of lawyers. Every non-profit requires legal assistance.
At it’s most sophisticated, a social responsibility program includes using your core solution – legal services – as a tool for social adjust. Volunteer with organizations like the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal Technique at the University of Denver, or the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center.
A strong concentrate makes it substantially a lot easier to make choices. Encana, for example, focuses its charitable giving strategy on issues surrounding its item — all-natural gas. Brownstein will donate income only if the request comes from a client, or if 1 of their attorneys is a member of the organization and on the board.
Law firms looking for further guidance can uncover valuable sources inside the Corporate Community Investment Network. CCIN is an association for professionals whose principal responsibility is to manage community investment programs in a for-profit organization setting.
Quite a few corporations and a couple of law firms have essentially developed separate foundations to mange some of their giving. A foundation comes with extra restrictions and various tax solutions. As entities with a life of their own, even so, foundations are additional probably than 1-off efforts to continue a beneficial existence.
Social duty: Good policies make great decisions
Approach and concentrate supply the foundation for an helpful social duty policy. Most law firms are inundated with requests from very good causes asking for their support. A policy helps 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 really hard to say no. A keenly focused policy tends to make it a lot easier to do so and keep the firm’s efforts on track.
Encana, for instance, makes use of a 5-step tool to decide the level of fit among a request and the company’s strategic ambitions in the field of all-natural gas – with level 5 getting the largest commitment and level a single the lowest.
Level 5 efforts integrate core item or service and often involve organic gas automobiles and energy efficiency initiatives applying all-natural gas. These efforts contribute to best practices and top trends in the business, while enhancing the company’s reputation as a leader.
Level four efforts focus on strategic partnerships and frequently involve sustainable and lengthy-term options like workforce development initiatives, signature programs (which can be repeated in other markets) and multi-year grants.
Level 3 efforts involve strategic grants to help with projects, programs or initiatives made to neighborhood non-earnings aligned with organic gas.