Corporate Social Responsibility at Trowers & Hamlins

© Trowers & Hamlins LLP 2017

Produced by Trowers & Hamlins LLP, 3 Bunhill Row, London, EC1Y 8YZ.

Trowers & Hamlins LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC337852 whose registered office is at 3 Bunhill Row, London, EC1Y 8YZ. Trowers & Hamlins LLP is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The word "partner" is used to refer to a member of Trowers & Hamlins LLP or an employee or consultant with equivalent standing and qualifications or an individual with equivalent status in one of Trowers & Hamlins LLP’s affiliated undertakings. A list of the members of Trowers & Hamlins LLP together with those non-members who are designated as partners is open to inspection at the registered office.

Contents1 ———— What Corporate Social Responsibility means to us

3 ———— What it takes to get involved

5 ———— Some of our CSR projects

From running marathons to charity bake-offs, cycling challenges, mentoring schemes, reading buddies and renovating communal areas, we take our responsibility to our local communities very seriously and aren’t afraid to roll our sleeves up and get stuck in.

We have 9 offices across the UK, Middle East and Asia and each office is committed to helping its local community in its own way.

The founding principles of our approach to corporate social responsibility are very simple. We believe in:

• Engaging with our local communities

• Encouraging children and young people to reach their full potential

• Enabling fairness and access to justice

We are passionate about giving back to our local communities and encourage all our people at every level to get involved in any way they can - whether joining the firm’s formal programme of CSR activities or in their own spare time with a local project or charity that’s dear to them.

And it’s not only our local communities that benefit, we benefit because our people benefit from feeling good about giving something back and developing new skills through new experiences.

What Corporate Social Responsibility means to us

We are passionate about giving back to

our local communities and encourage all

our people at every level to get involved in

any way they can.

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Nicola Ihnatowicz, a partner and Chair of the firm’s CSR Committee, talks about what CSR means to her, her role and the projects that are special to her.

Why is CSR important to you? Many of us spend much more of our time during the week at work rather than at home. So the community where we work and near the office is just as important as the community around our homes. Whilst many of us enjoy the benefits of a stable upbringing, a decent education and steady job, that cannot be said of all the people who live and work near us. It seems obvious to me that we should be giving back to our local communities.

How do you fit your CSR activity around the day job? It’s not that difficult because you can make a significant difference in a reasonably short period of time, and there’s always time to do things you think are important!

What are your current CSR projects? As the partner in charge of CSR I am always trying to think of ways in which we can improve of our CSR work and make the biggest difference. I’m always looking for ways to encourage more people at the firm to join in. Together with the CSR committee I ensure that the projects we run are well resourced and meet the needs of our local communities. On a more personal level I’m a trustee for The Girls’ Network which is hugely rewarding.

What do you personally get out of your CSR activity? I’m always inspired by the people at Trowers & Hamlins who want to get involved and give back to our communities. We have some amazing teams and individuals who I’m incredibly proud of. Personally I learnt a huge amount from volunteering with the reading scheme, Getting Ahead in the past, and through The Girls’ Network. When I was studying and training I had some fantastic role models and its brilliant to support a charity providing mentors and role models to girls and young women who aren’t so fortunate. As well as the “feel good factor”, it’s a great way to be reminded of what we have to offer and that we’re nothing without our neighbours and communities.

Which initiatives are you particularly proud of? I’m also very proud of our work with East Potential and the Routes to Work Programme. It is fantastic to see successful participants from the programmes in jobs with our firm and doing so well.

What it takes to get involved

“...we’re nothing without our neighbours

and communities.”

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Connie O’Donnell, a paralegal, talks about why CSR activity is so important to her and a project close to her heart.

Why is CSR important to you? Most of us are predominantly here as lawyers because we have a desire to help, assist and guide people. CSR provides a way of engaging with the local community, and assisting those people that can benefit from our expertise and knowledge, rather than focusing on targets and chargeable hours. It is sometimes nice to just focus on people, instead of worrying about all the other day to day worries of working in the legal profession.

Which CSR initiative are you involved with? I am involved with the Pathways to Law Programme, which aims to help 16 to 17 year olds from local schools, who are academically bright but from underprivileged backgrounds, decide whether they would like to progress with a career in law. They attend workshops and undertake work experience (with us and other local firms) and are given valuable guidance on the legal profession.

Why did you choose that one? For those students who are not fortunate enough to live in certain areas or go to certain schools, it can be challenging to begin a legal career, as the industry is so competitive. I think it is great that we can give the students some hands on legal experience, and also give them something to use on their applications to university and subsequently training contracts, to show their enthusiasm for law.

How much time does it take up? We have a work experience student in the office a few times each year, who sits in various teams throughout the week. I also keep in contact with the Pathways to Law organisers about workshops and events we can assist with. .

What advice would you give to people who are interested in getting involved with CSR but are unsure whether they have the skills, knowledge or time to do so?I would advise them to speak to a member of the CSR committee, and we can talk to them about the many different projects we are currently running. The projects cover a wide range of activities, all with varying levels of commitment and knowledge required. Our aim on the committee is to get as many people involved as possible, and there is a CSR project for everyone!

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Some of our CSR projects

East Potential Routes to Work ProgrammeFor more than a decade we have worked with East Potential, a registered charity, whose aim is to make a difference by giving people the chance to succeed in East London and Essex by providing accommodation, training and employment opportunities.

Each year we take part in their Routes to Work Programme, a work experience and business mentoring programme.

This involves running a two-week work placement scheme for 14-16 participants twice a year. Over the course of their placement they receive a combination of training ranging from IT skills, assertiveness and communication to time management, job search and interview skills and team working. They also get involved in “on-the-job” working across various departments in the firm and gain valuable experience in office procedures.

From the feedback we’ve had from participants, we know that it makes a difference to them, and crucially, has helped them to develop their CV and workplace skills and improve their prospects for future employment.

We have now run 150 placements with East Potential of which 25 have resulted in employment with us.

In 2015 we were awarded the prize for best CSR initiative at the inaugural HR in Law Awards for our work with East Potential.

“In 2012 Trowers & Hamlins hosted 14

placements and eight of those are now

in employment and five are close to

being ready to enter employment.”

John Bryson, East Thames

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“Trowers & Hamlins’ confidence in me and their

willingness to contribute to my further education

inspires me to get the best grades I can.”

Lovelace Odoi, undergraduate at Warwick University

AspireWe want to play our part in supporting high-achieving young people from low-income backgrounds into the top universities and professions. Our Aspire programme is designed to do just that by targeting sixth form students at inner London schools.

We have supported three undergraduate students on their journey through university studying law, with three more currently completing their studies. As part of the programme we award each student £15,000 towards their costs and provide ongoing support and mentoring throughout their course. At the end of their second year students are invited to join our undergraduate summer vacation scheme to gain vital work experience to help them pursue their chosen career. We are looking forward to supporting more students over the coming years.

Reading buddies at Moreland SchoolLearning to read is a vital skill for young children. For 12 years we read with St Paul’s Primary School in Whitechapel and still have strong links with the school. We have now teamed up with Moreland School and a group of staff read one-on-one with a child once a week for 30 minutes. It is exciting and a privilege to help them discover the joy of books. It is wonderful to see their reading gradually improve over time and to be a small part of the reason for their success. The children are very rewarding and engaging, and are a pleasure to spend time with.

David Hughe

s, reading

buddy. Sarah Lyons, reading buddy.

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Prime - Helping to improve social mobilityWe are very proud to be a founding member of the nationwide Prime initiative which aims to improve social mobility by making sure that young people from less privileged backgrounds get access to the work experience opportunities that their talents deserve.

Started by just 23 founding firms in 2011, the initiative now includes over 80 law firms across the country. An independent evaluation of the initiative’s first year revealed that 90% of participating students have seen their self-confidence improve through participation in the scheme.

We see this confidence first-hand through our close links with St Angela’s & St Bonaventure’s Sixth Form College in East London. Every year we welcome a cohort of 10 of their students to our bespoke work experience and training programme.

Getting Ahead scheme with Tower Hamlets Education Business PartnershipGetting Ahead is a programme of half and one-day conferences designed to introduce young people to the world of work. Run in conjunction with the Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership, each conference is divided into workshops covering particular aspects of working life such as first impressions, employer expectations, team work, problem solving, applying for a job and interview skills.

The conferences are held at various venues across Tower Hamlets and each one is usually attended by around 70 14 to 15 year-olds. The students are divided into teams of 6 or 7 and each team has one or two volunteers to assist them with the day’s activities. As well as guiding, supporting and motivating the teams as they work through the sessions, the volunteers add credibility to the day by providing real-life experience.

Although challenging, the conferences are a great way to introduce young people to working life.

Since 2008 our people have volunteered 152

times for the Getting Ahead programme,

providing over 1000 hours of mentoring

support and working with over 700 students.

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The Girls’ NetworkFounded on International Women’s Day in 2013, The Girls’ Network matches girls from low income communities with professional women who act as mentors for a year. In 2014/15, twelve women from our London office mentored with The Girls’ Network over the course of the academic year. The mentees gain valuable skills and expand their networks to help them gain valuable work experience.

Supporting charitiesEach year we ask the partners and staff to cast their vote for the firm’s Charity of the Year. In 2015 the vote in our London office was so close we selected two! Our charities of the year are The Separated Child Foundation and Mind. Our regional offices also support their own local charities.

In support of our charities we undertake various fund raising activities over the course of the year. Past activities have included cycling challenges, bake-offs, dress down days, fun runs, quiz nights and much more.

For more informationFor further information about the firm’s CSR activities please contact:

Nicola IhnatowiczPartner

d +44 (0)20 7423 8565e nihnatowicz@trowers.com

Yetunde Dania completing the

Birmingham half marathon.

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