Recognising that social mobility and sustainability are the areas where we can make the biggest positive impact, we organise our responsible business activities around these two strategic themes. We also have a significant pro bono programme and fundraise for charity; where possible we align these activities to the two strategic themes.
Life at LS /
Responsible business
We want to be a force for good in the world.
Our collective desire is to have a positive impact beyond doing great work for our clients. We’re committed to playing a role in creating a more equitable society, and to conducting our business in a responsible way which seeks to reduce our impact on the environment.
Our approach
Everyone at Lewis Silkin is empowered and expected to complete 30 hours of responsible business and/or DE&I activity each year. This could mean getting involved in responsible business activities organised through the firm, skilled volunteering or volunteering in the local community, acting as a Trustee, working to embed responsible business internally, or carrying out fundraising activities for our firmwide charity, the Sutton Trust.
We have four responsible business groups within the firm - education and social mobility, sustainability, pro bono, and fundraising. The groups are made up of colleagues with an interest in or experience of the focus area, and their purpose is to raise awareness of and take action on the issues that they represent.
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Lewis Silkin has generously supported onboard:earth across a number of vital areas. Their input has helped us professionalise our relationships and navigate some challenges with confidence. Their support has enabled us to start a new chapter in the charity's mission 'to put low carbon travel at the heart of live events culture'.
onboard:earth
Responsible Business is at the heart of Lewis Silkin. It connects us to our past; it informs the decisions we make day-to-day; and it gives us the opportunity to be part of building a better future. That is a future which allows people to succeed regardless of their background; which is environmentally conscious; and in which those who need legal advice and support have access to it.
Sam PenningtonPartner, Head of Responsible Business, Responsible Business Champion
Lewis Silkin's support has been invaluable to us, and business critical as we fight for funding to help drive diversity and fair representation across the marketing, advertising and creative industries. We consider them to be an essential and integral part of our business. A HUGE thank you to everyone at Lewis Silkin from the Brixton Finishing School Team!
Brixton Finishing School
Pro bono work allows us to help people and organisations who would otherwise be unable to access legal support. My own experience is that it is extremely rewarding to give something back, and that our clients are increasingly interested in responsible business activity, including pro bono. And as many charities and community groups rely on pro bono advice, I also believe that using our skills and expertise to help them is the right thing to do. The value of this work speaks to who we are as a firm – a team of talented, brave and kind people.
James KeoghPartner and Pro Bono Champion
We’re motivated and committed to do the right thing and to help play our part in building a more sustainable future. For us, this means supporting the next generation of talent through our social mobility initiatives and managing and reducing our own environmental impacts over the long term. It also means we support and work in partnership with charities and non-profits with values that align with our own, and where the skills of our people can make a real difference.
Lucy LewisPartner, Responsible Business and DEI Champion
Lewis Silkin has generously supported onboard:earth across a number of vital areas. Their input has helped us professionalise our relationships and navigate some challenges with confidence. Their support has enabled us to start a new chapter in the charity's mission 'to put low carbon travel at the heart of live events culture'.
onboard:earth
Responsible Business is at the heart of Lewis Silkin. It connects us to our past; it informs the decisions we make day-to-day; and it gives us the opportunity to be part of building a better future. That is a future which allows people to succeed regardless of their background; which is environmentally conscious; and in which those who need legal advice and support have access to it.
Sam PenningtonPartner, Head of Responsible Business, Responsible Business Champion
Lewis Silkin's support has been invaluable to us, and business critical as we fight for funding to help drive diversity and fair representation across the marketing, advertising and creative industries. We consider them to be an essential and integral part of our business. A HUGE thank you to everyone at Lewis Silkin from the Brixton Finishing School Team!
Brixton Finishing School
Pro bono work allows us to help people and organisations who would otherwise be unable to access legal support. My own experience is that it is extremely rewarding to give something back, and that our clients are increasingly interested in responsible business activity, including pro bono. And as many charities and community groups rely on pro bono advice, I also believe that using our skills and expertise to help them is the right thing to do. The value of this work speaks to who we are as a firm – a team of talented, brave and kind people.
James KeoghPartner and Pro Bono Champion
We’re motivated and committed to do the right thing and to help play our part in building a more sustainable future. For us, this means supporting the next generation of talent through our social mobility initiatives and managing and reducing our own environmental impacts over the long term. It also means we support and work in partnership with charities and non-profits with values that align with our own, and where the skills of our people can make a real difference.
Lucy LewisPartner, Responsible Business and DEI Champion
Lewis Silkin has generously supported onboard:earth across a number of vital areas. Their input has helped us professionalise our relationships and navigate some challenges with confidence. Their support has enabled us to start a new chapter in the charity's mission 'to put low carbon travel at the heart of live events culture'.
onboard:earth
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Strategic themes
We firmly believe that the job your parents did, what school you went to or where you live should not affect your life chances. Our social mobility programme is focused on helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our main aim is to play a role in raising their aspirations and reducing the impact of inequalities, by providing them with the tools and resources they need to succeed.
Our inspiration and ethos
Our firm is named after Lewis Silkin, whose story of social mobility continues to inspire us. His family were refugees from Lithuania and he was brought up in poverty, but qualified as a solicitor before becoming an MP and government minister. His determination helped inspire our ethos of bravery and kindness, which underpins how we act as a socially and environmentally sustainable business.
Working with the Sutton Trust
We have a firmwide charity partnership with social mobility charity the Sutton Trust. We work together to contribute to improving social mobility, and to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds access the legal profession.
We participate in the Sutton Trust’s flagship ‘Pathways to Law’ programme, which is specifically designed to help address social mobility challenges in the legal sector. The programme helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds access higher education, including through providing training in soft skills and work experience opportunities.
PRIME
We’re proud members of PRIME, an alliance of law firms committed to improving socio-economic diversity within and access to the legal profession. As members we host annual work experience placements for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Social Mobility Index
We are ranked 7th on the Social Mobility Employer Index 2024, having rapidly improved our ranking over recent years. The index ranks UK employers according to changes they are making to how they find, recruit and advance talented employees from less privileged backgrounds.
Engaging our people
One of our four internal responsible business groups is the Education and Social Mobility Group, which includes colleagues from all areas of the firm. The group runs a wide range of initiatives including our flagship Lewis Silkin Mentoring Scheme, which was recognised with a SOMO bronze award. Other initiatives include cold spot outreach sessions (virtual careers workshops delivered to students in schools in areas where there are lower levels of social mobility) virtual and in-person primary school reading schemes and the Nikki and Ellen Scholarship Scheme, which provides financial support to bright young people embarking on their university career.
Pro bono and fundraising
As a law firm, we have a unique responsibility to use our skills and expertise to help those who would otherwise be unable to access justice - which is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of a fair and just society. We’re committed to providing time and resource to support our pro bono clients.
Pro Bono Skills Academy
This initiative provides a series of pro bono webinars for UK-based charities and not-for-profit organisations, giving them access to a holistic programme of free training covering a wide range of legal and governance issues such as workplace resilience, crypto assets, strategic planning and digital marketing.
Engaging our people
Our pro bono group, which includes colleagues from both legal and business teams, identifies initiatives to support. Up to 20 hours of pro bono work count towards our lawyers’ annual chargeable hours targets.
Our pro bono partnerships
- Human Dignity Trust
- TrustLaw
- Citizens Advice Bureau Oxford
- Mary Ward Legal Advice Centre
- Online Employment Tribunal Litigant in Person Support Service (ELIPS)
- Protect
- Rights of Women Advice Line
- Public Interest Lawyers Association
- Working Families
- Helpdesk with the Zubin Foundation