Firm wins prestigious Silver band following significant year-on-year improvement on CR benchmarking of its global business
Linklaters' long term commitment to corporate responsibility globally has been recognised today in the Business in the Community's (BitC) Corporate Responsibility index. The firm has been awarded a Silver band, for its global CR performance.
The ranking represents a significant improvement on Linklaters' performance in last year's index. This year, the firm has scored above the index averages both within the professional services sector and across all participants in corporate strategy, community investment, workplace management and environment management. The areas of greatest improvement are the firm’s commitment to more open communication with its clients and its people and the management of its business risks and reputation, especially in relation to the clients and work it takes on. This is a clear demonstration of Linklaters’ systematic approach to managing, measuring and reporting on its responsibilities throughout its global operations.
In December 2008, Linklaters published its first CR Review (www.linklaters.com/responsibility), which sets out the firm's vision and strategy, as well as communicating the firm's CR successes and challenges.
David Cheyne, Linklaters Senior Partner, said:
"As a leading premium global law firm, we recognise we have responsibilities not just to our clients, but to our people, suppliers, the environment and local communities across all our offices around the world. We are therefore delighted to have been awarded silver status in the benchmarking of our global business, reflecting the significant progress we have made.
"We view benchmarking as a valuable management tool in helping us identify areas for improvement. This is of course just the beginning. We will continue to listen to our people and clients to understand their priorities, and to build stronger relationships."
Oonagh Harpur, Linklaters Global Head of Corporate Responsibility, said:
"For Linklaters, corporate responsibility is simply making sure we achieve our vision and strategic priorities in a responsible way, believing that in doing so we build and strengthen our culture, brand and reputation.
“The crisis in the world’s economy has resulted in greater public scrutiny than ever before. For us this means scrutiny around the decisions we make every day. These include the types of clients we take on and the work we do for them, the extent to which we treat our people consistently and fairly across the world, our environmental performance and how we meet our responsibilities to the wider communities in which we and our clients do business. As a result our approach to CR is more important than ever."
Stephen Howard, Chief Executive of Business in the Community, said:
“I congratulate Linklaters on achieving a Silver band in the 2008 Business in the Community Corporate Responsibility Index. At a time when trust and confidence in businesses is at an all time low, it is examples like this that will help to demonstrate that some businesses are taking the responsibility they have towards their people and the planet seriously and that it makes business sense.
"In the current climate it is more important than ever for businesses to acknowledge the impact they have on society and the environment and commit to tackling the issues, not just because they should, but because it’s good for business."
For further information, please contact:
Rupert Winlaw on (44-20) 7456 3219 or rupert.winlaw@linklaters.com
Sarah Peters on (44-20) 7456 2153 or sarah.peters@linklaters.com
