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 additional profitable. And if not more lucrative, at least a much better spot to operate.
Law firms can understand from corporate expertise to make their personal social responsibility programs. Such applications can enable law firms to do properly by doing very good. They can strengthen the firm’s reputation and marketplace position. They can help the firm identify with the culture and CSR activities of clientele and potential customers. They can assistance lawyers and employees uncover extra meaning in their perform and boost as human beings.
In the words of the social duty Karma Committee at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck: Be type. Be generous. Be concerned. Donate time. Donate work. Donate funds. Just uncover a lead to and give. You’ll quickly learn providing is also receiving.
A panel discussion about how law firms can understand about CSR and introduce some of its components into their own models was sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Legal Marketing and advertising Association. The program was held Could 8 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, 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 people – the lawyers and help employees who provide higher good quality legal services. It is an easy fit. There are quite a few ways that this ‘product’ can contribute time, talent and treasure to socially accountable activities.
Social duty: Focus and strategy
Law firm social duty is all about making a difference within the neighborhood and the profession, and within a firm. Even the very best efforts will make no effect if spread as well thin. You can not maximize the value of your contributions or inform your story if your efforts are as well diluted. To decide how to most properly invest its sources, a law firm needs a social duty concentrate and a approach.
Social responsibility efforts have to be genuine. Law firms and other entities must generally prevent ‘green-washing’ – telling a story that is aspirational, but not genuinely correct. Know yourself. Let your firm’s distinctive culture and abilities determine which efforts to pursue and which to stay away from.
When examining your culture, do not limit your self to companion input. Law firms are smaller communities, practically like families. Any effort to define culture and social responsibility 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 rewards to employee recruitment, retention and satisfaction can be remarkable.
DeBoskey outlined three sorts of neighborhood involvement and stated his belief that a good social duty program consists of elements of all three.
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 responsibility model, these efforts align with the capabilities of the enterprise – like the legal expertise of lawyers. Each and every non-profit requires legal guidance.
At it’s most sophisticated, a social duty program requires working with your core solution – legal services – as a tool for social change. 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 focus makes it much easier to make decisions. Encana, for instance, focuses its charitable giving method on troubles surrounding its solution — organic gas. Brownstein will donate money only if the request comes from a client, or if a single of their attorneys is a member of the organization and on the board.
Law firms looking for extra advice can uncover precious resources inside the Corporate Community Investment Network. CCIN is an association for specialists whose primary responsibility is to manage community investment applications in a for-profit business enterprise setting.
Numerous corporations and a few law firms have really designed separate foundations to mange some of their giving. A foundation comes with a lot more restrictions and distinct tax approaches. As entities with a life of their own, even so, foundations are additional probably than 1-off efforts to continue a valuable existence.
Social responsibility: Fantastic policies make very good decisions
Technique and concentrate deliver the foundation for an efficient social responsibility policy. Most law firms are inundated with requests from very good causes asking for their help. A policy helps you know when to say “yes” to and when to say “no.”
In the law firm model, where all partners are owners with a sense of entitlement to sources, it can be quite tricky to say no. A keenly focused policy tends to make it a great deal less complicated to do so and retain the firm’s efforts on track.
yoursite.com , for instance, makes use of a 5-step tool to identify the level of match in between a request and the company’s strategic targets in the field of natural gas – with level 5 becoming the biggest commitment and level 1 the lowest.
Level five efforts integrate core item or service and often involve all-natural gas vehicles and power efficiency initiatives working with natural gas. These efforts contribute to most effective practices and top trends in the market, whilst enhancing the company’s reputation as a leader.
Level four efforts focus on strategic partnerships and often involve sustainable and long-term options like workforce development initiatives, signature programs (which can be repeated in other markets) and multi-year grants.
Level three efforts include strategic grants to help with projects, applications or initiatives created to neighborhood non-profits aligned with organic gas.
