Peter Forshaw considers the importance of corporate social responsibility policies for law firms
The concept of CSR (corporate social responsibility) remains a tentative notion within the legal profession. While some firms have clearly defined, comprehensive CSR policies, many other legal practices have no such plan or mistakenly believe that the concept is limited to charitable fundraising.
Part of the reason for this uncertainty lies in the difficulty defining such a wide-ranging concept. At its heart, a true CSR policy represents a commitment by a firm to behave reasonably and responsibly towards its four major stakeholder groups—its workplace, community, market place and environment. A company with a CSR policy recognises that its activities have a wide impact on society and seeks to achieve a beneficial impact by managing the economic, social, and environmental aspects of its trading activities. Consequently, it has both internal and external dimensions.
Internally a CSR-conscious company strives towards a safe and pleasant work environment, defined career structures and competitive remuneration packages for its staff while engaging them in that decision-making process through
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