Corporate social responsibility

Our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme enables us to pursue our commercial objectives in a way that is consistent with the values of our people. Our trainees are encouraged to get involved in CSR activities, which cover the following key areas:

Charitable giving - each year, we elect two charities to be the focus of our fundraising for the following 12 months. We also partner with two local schools, in Bermondsey and Tower Hamlets, where we provide one-to-one reading support and are involved in initiatives to help improve pupils’ social and communication skills. The Volunteer Day Scheme gives all staff the opportunity to take paid time-off for charitable causes during regular working hours. Each member of staff is entitled to one day off each financial year to volunteer for a charitable cause of their choice. The purpose of the scheme is to complement the varied and important work that many of us are already doing, be that volunteering in charity shops, mentoring students, or developing reading skills of children. We are also keen to support people in the Firm who may otherwise be excluded from volunteering due to personal work commitments.
Diversity – we strive to develop and maintain an inclusive working environment that offers rewarding careers to high calibre staff from the broadest of backgrounds. We have three diversity focus groups – BakerEthnicity; BakerLGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender); BakerWomen and BakerBalance. These help us frame our diversity policies and initiatives. Read about what each of them are doing here

BakerEthnicity - the group's first major initiative was to work with our Graduate Recruitment team to ensure that our recruitment selection process was as bias neutral as possible. As a result of discussions, the recruitment process was completely revamped. Our Black and Minority Ethnic statistics have risen dramatically, from 4% in 2006 to 21% in 2010. The group is now exploring ethnicity related issues in relation to the business services staff and legal PA population.

BakerWomen - this group looks at how we can remove any barriers to women's career progression. 22% of our partnership is female which is higher than the average for other firms of this size however there is still work to do. The group organises panel discussions and networking events with the aim of profiling positive role models from within the Firm.

BakerLGBT - we have been members of Stonewall's Diversity Champions Network for many years now. Issues the group has explored include the implementation of monitoring at all points in the employment cycle and the introduction of a Listening Ear Scheme. This provides the opportunity to talk to LGBT individuals throughout the firm from all levels about any LGBT-related issues. We also have a significant number of openly gay partners which sends a strong message that sexual orientation is absolutely no barrier to career progression at Baker & McKenzie.

BakerBalance - this is our newest group and covers issues such as work/life balance, wellness, mental health and parenting support. Recent initiatives include the introduction of networking sessions for women going on maternity leave, a review of our approach to mental health issues and a focus on what additional support fathers may require.

We also have a Diversity Contact Network. Should you have any questions about diversity issues, we can put you in touch with someone who already works in the London office who will be able to answer your questions. We have over 40 people who can meet with you for a coffee or contact you via email to discuss a whole range of issues from social mobility, sexual orientation and gender, through to disability, age and ethnicity. Contact us using this address: diversity@bakernet.com.

Sustainability – our Sustainability Committee is responsible for finding ways for us to reduce our impact on the environment. We have a comprehensive recycling scheme throughout the office where paper, cardboard, plastic, drinks cans, toner cartridges and glass can be recycled. Fair Trade products are available in the staff restaurant where we also compost all of our food waste. A Cycle to Work scheme is available as well as pre-paid Oyster cards to encourage people to use public transport rather than taxis to get to meetings in London.
We support our staff to make a contribution to the wider community and have a vibrant Pro Bono programme, which you can read more about here.

To learn more about our approach to Corporate Social Responsibility, please read our 2009 annual review