France

‘It’s been a busy and exciting year on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) front in Paris. In a short space of time, we’ve put together a comprehensive CSR programme, in line with our global objective to be a more social and environmentally responsible firm. Local support for our initiatives, whether through volunteering to joining our green team, taking part in our first team challenge or agreeing to take on pro bono work has been tremendous. We must continue to encourage our people to get involved in these initiatives and I for one am very much looking forward to developing our programme further.’
Emmanuel Bénard, partner with responsibility for CSR in Paris

Pro bono in Paris

Our office in Paris has provided pro bono employment law advice to Plan International, a charity that works with children, their families and the wider community in developing countries, helping them achieve positive change in their lives. We assisted the charity by carrying out a review of the standard employment and consultancy agreements to be used by a new office Plan intends to establish in Laos.

We contributed to a comparative law piece for Liberty involving carrying out research on the length of pre-detention in France.

Our Paris office is actively involved in the new pro bono roundtable designed to encourage and promote more pro bono work. As well as hosting and chairing a session, we will be part of the steering committee responsible for devising a pro bono development strategy in France.

Working in schools

In 2007, we began working alongside the French Ministry of Education, ENGAGE and a number of other firms and businesses on a project that will welcome 13-15 year old school children into the workplace as part of a ‘discovering business’ initiative aimed at introducing them to corporate life and culture.

We have also carried out pro bono research into the right to education under European and French law on behalf of a human rights charity.

Donating blood and Maison des Himalayas

In June 2007, 70 people in the Paris office gave blood in partnership with Don du Sang. We intend to continue giving blood twice a year and hope to increase the number of donors each year.

For a number of years, by making donations and covering Christmas card printing costs, the Paris office has supported a charity called La Maison des Himalayas, which runs a school for nomadic children in Manali, Northern India.

Community Challenge

As part of our first firm-wide community and pro bono initiative, Community Challenge 2007, we worked with Unis-Cité, an organisation dedicated to promoting solidarity in the community by setting up volunteering schemes for young people aged 18-25 and developing volunteer initiatives for businesses.

With Unis-Cité’s support, we were able to organise our first team challenge in Paris and mobilised 34 volunteers, including four partners, who spent the day at the Centre d’Accueil des Demandeurs d’Asile, an asylum seekers’ centre in the Parisian suburbs. The centre houses 80 people, including 34 children, and assists and supports the residents with the complex administration procedures required when requesting asylum, as well as ensuring the children are registered in local schools and receive help with their school work. It also offers emotional and practical support and attempts, through discussion groups and therapeutic activities, to minimise the psychological trauma experienced by many of the residents.

Unis-Cité devised a varied programme for our volunteers, who spent the day in small groups on a number of activities, such as artwork, cooking, wrapping donated presents for the children and residents, and decorating the centre. The day ended with the distribution by the volunteers of the surprise Christmas presents. Each child received at least three presents and they were practically bursting with excitement.

‘Our first Community Challenge was a huge success which exceeded all our expectations. Our community partner, Unis-Cité, did an outstanding job organising the event and we look forward to developing more projects with them in 2008. Volunteer participation was impressive for a first initiative. Practically all departments and support services were represented, which provided an excellent opportunity for people to get to know one another in a relaxed environment. I think I can speak for everyone involved in saying that the experience was extremely fulfilling and moving. The realisation that, collectively, we can do a great deal with very little is very inspiring and provides the impetus to take our programme forward.’
Emmanuel Bénard, partner with responsibility for CSR in Paris