CSR reporting – why we think it is important

Our 2007/2008 corporate social responsibility (CSR) report builds on our previous reports, reviewing the social and environmental issues that are material to us. In particular the report covers our firmwide approach to sustainability; our response to the global issue of climate change; the development of our community and pro bono programme; the increasing involvement of our associates and people in shaping our firm; and our approach to diversity. We believe all these elements are important to the future of our firm and to the wider world in which we live and work.

CSR reporting helps us to measure our success against our goals, to see how we are doing and to manage our resources effectively. We find CSR reporting a useful and thought-provoking exercise, which helps us in our ongoing efforts to ensure we remain an outstanding law firm.

It matters to us and the people who are important to us

Success in social and environmental responsibility is vital in sustaining our position as a leading international law firm because it matters to us and the people who are important to us. To sustain the respect and trust of our stakeholders – particularly the people who work here, potential recruits, and our clients – we recognise that professional excellence and commitment to our people and clients is not enough in itself. We must also be outstanding in the delivery of our wider social and environmental objectives, and to be seen to be so. By using recognised benchmarks, our CSR report enables our stakeholders to assess for themselves how we are doing.

It is the right thing to do and makes good business sense

We believe being socially and environmentally responsible is the right thing to do, and makes good business sense. It has the benefit of ensuring we are investing in our own future and, more widely, playing our part in developing talent, promoting human rights, social inclusion and cohesion, and managing climate change. CSR reporting helps us to measure our progress in terms of these commitments and our CSR principles.

CSR reporting also helps to keep us attuned to international social and environmental issues and the needs of local markets and cultures, helping to improve our understanding of our clients and their needs, the people who work here, and the people we want to work here. It helps us to see where we are performing well and where we are not doing so well. In turn, this helps us to evolve, to respond to and anticipate our clients' and other stakeholders' needs, as well as our own.

Finally, CSR reporting also helps us to assess how we are doing in terms of our own values and the expectations of our stakeholders, and allows us to benchmark ourselves alongside other businesses.

CSR report updates

Looking back to our 2004/2005 and 2006/2007 CSR reports we are making good progress, but there is no room for complacency in terms of integrating our social and environmental commitments into the firm: this is a work in progress.

We will continue to use our CSR report to help us collect, analyse and communicate what we are doing. We will be producing our next assured CSR report for the 2008/2009 financial year. We also aim to update these pages when there are significant developments: