As social responsibility occupies a growing spot on many companies’ agendas, a key emphasis has been placed on finding counsel that echoes these values. Law firms’ activities within racial and ethnic diversity, gender equality, employee engagement, pro bono service, and responsible business practices are being scrutinised more than ever. These elements continue to compose the essence of their reputations, both intern and extern, and an instrumental part of what it means to compete in today’s legal market.
The 2023 Social Impact Leaders, a measure of law firms’ efforts within these areas, has released its rankings for this year. Expectations for this ranking have increased with enhanced assessments of leadership diversity, employee engagement and plans for future initiatives. With the inclusion of searchable sub-ranking packages, interested parties can gain insights into firms’ pro bono rankings and their areas of focus in pro bono service. This ranking is the first of a trio to be released, so keep an eye out for more. An in-depth examination of the 2023 Social Impact Leaders can be viewed
here for your perusal.
Interestingly, the responses to escalating pressures for businesses, including law firms, to augment their social responsibility efforts vary. An annual assessment of law firms’ social responsibility progression and their alignment with workplace realities can be found
here.
Meanwhile, pro bono work remains a powerful way for law firms to positively impact their communities. A glance at the leading firms can be seen over
here.
As far as pro bono service is concerned, what specialized services are these firms offering and which areas of law are they focusing on? For insights into firms’ pro bono priorities,
this piece can be of use.
Finally, it seems that law firms are likely to persist in concentrating on ESG principles despite the backlash to institutional efforts around environmental, social and corporate governance spreading in the U.S. An informative take on why Law Firm ESG is seeming to stay can be found
here.