Corporate social responsibility

Perfect Partners

A decade ago Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was barely visible in the board rooms of major organisations. It is now a clear expectation that a successful business will achieve standards of excellence and innovation in CSR as part of its licence to operate on a global and local stage. It is significant, therefore, that DLA Piper is now able to celebrate a decade of partnership with The Prince’s Trust – a partnership that began in very different times.

In the beginning
The partnership arose from a fundamental review of pro bono activity undertaken by DLA Piper, coupled with the need that was recognised in the local community. As a business we knew we wanted to ‘give something back’. It was a matter of identifying how. The findings of our initial review formed the basis for setting the objectives and supporting strategy. At the time it was a pioneering way of delivering pro bono. A number of pro bono activities were considered, but it was discussions with The Prince’s Trust that struck a chord with the DLA Piper management team. The focus of the Trust’s work, helping disadvantaged youngsters that had so much potential if the right help was available, became very compelling. DLA Piper wanted to use the talents of its staff to positively impact upon the lives of fledgling entrepreneurs, who were subject to commercial risk and, potentially, commercial failure. Helping young businesses that needed legal advice, matched with our lawyers’ commercial skills, provided that synergy.
The scale and scope of the early partnership with The Prince’s Trust in Manchester was to provide the best possible service to young start-up businesses in the following ways:

A legal induction, detailing legal issues to be considered by a new business, followed by a question and answer session;
Regular seminars and surgeries dealing with topics from bad debts to raising capital, with individual tailored advice available thereafter;
Ongoing advice and guidance under a ‘voucher scheme’ entitling each business to legal advice outside the scope of the seminars up to a limit of £200.

This generated great enthusiasm from our people in Manchester to take part in the initiative. Initially, a core team of six lawyers led the charge and recruited volunteers. In the first year of operation, over 150 young people were given free legal advice and support.

Growth and change
The partnership with The Prince’s Trust has developed significantly over the past decade. The provision of free legal advice remains core, but the magnitude of our involvement and achievements has far exceeded the initial offering.
Having successfully piloted the partnership model, DLA Piper gradually rolled out similar schemes in London, Birmingham and Scotland, all of which continue today. This measured expansion approach gave both The Prince’s Trust and the firm the opportunity to ‘bed down’ the new relationship and evaluate strengths and weaknesses.
In early 2000 the firm also appointed a Prince’s Trust Pro Bono coordinator, who was dedicated to managing and developing the partnership. The relationship had become integrated within the business, and senior management wanted to grow what was a highly-regarded, sustainable asset because of the strategic and community value it provided.
However, a noticeable change in direction occurred when DLA Piper shifted from being perceived as a corporate ‘supporter’ to the elevated position of corporate ‘partner’. The Prince’s Trust called upon DLA Piper for support in strategic growth, giving us the opportunity to build capacity and be seen as a core delivery partner the Trust could work with on important matters.
A greater understanding of the benefits of CSR – spurred on in no small part by the partnership – has seen the implementation of new internal policy. New measures allow for the accreditation of 30 hours per fee-earner each year for pro bono activity and the inclusion of CSR bonus points in performance and management reviews. Procedural adjustments like these allow us to continually improve and expand the partnership.
In 2005, the Building Better Lives (BBL) project was then conceived – outlined in the case study on the following page.

Key successes and outcomes
The following are the main benefits the association has produced:

People power: our people are actively encouraged to participate in CSR activity. Volunteers develop ‘soft’ skills such as rapport-building and motivation, and core business skills including an expanded knowledge of the law. There is also a sense of esprit de corps as lawyers, HR, IT, business development and PR work together for a common purpose;
Reputation building: association with The Prince’s Trust is good for the DLA Piper brand. Our various partnership initiatives receive very positive local and national press coverage, as well as providing the opportunity to promote our brand to businesses and community groups;
Client development: our partnership with the Trust has offered many opportunities for us to work with clients in ways that would not otherwise have been possible, allowing us to forge even stronger relationships.
Enhanced internal systems: the depth of work with The Prince’s Trust has contributed to the implementation of new systems and procedures, including regular review and feedback for our community projects, which provide insight into how we can improve our CSR offering.
New products and services: we are currently developing training and a toolkit to provide businesses and Prince’s Trust mentors with know-how on ‘hot’ legal topics. We have also worked with clients such as KPMG, Barclays and Ford Motor Company, who have shared their commercial knowledge with mentors.

Community successes
Over the past 10 years of the partnership, DLA Piper’s volunteers have been able to make a difference to the lives of young people. They have shared their professional expertise and provided legal solutions at critical points. They have also given their time to mentor young people and added to the overall value of the partnership by sharing their business acumen and skills.
Fundraising has formed a small component of the partnership, with some £25,000 being raised and reinvested in initiatives supporting disadvantaged young people.
Gifts in kind are valued in excess of £150,000, and have taken the form of project development, sponsorship of publications and the hosting of events and meetings. A flagship component of the partnership has been a series of showcases, ‘Creative Britain’, hosted by the firm to promote fledgling entrepreneurs.
DLA Piper and The Prince’s Trust were also recently delighted to receive recognition of the partnership’s positive impact on the community through the award of a ‘Big Tick’ at Business in the Community’s (BITC’s) Silver Jubilee Awards. Nigel Knowles, joint CEO of DLA Piper said: “We are enormously pleased with the recognition that our partnership with The Prince’s Trust has received from the BITC. CSR is, and will continue to be, at the heart of our business and I am very proud of the real difference we are making.”

Future plans
Following a review with The Prince’s Trust, we have now jointly decided to develop the Building Better Lives model into new sectors. Timeframes and objectives for this will be set over the coming months.
We will also introduce The Prince’s Trust to our network of clients, and encourage other corporates to support what is recognised as one of the UK’s leading youth charities. New project plans are always in development. We realise that DLA Piper, together with The Prince’s Trust, can deliver initiatives that have value and meaning for our business and the community – and also provide a vehicle for the firm’s staff to give something back. It is with this confidence that the partnership goes from strength to strength.
The original aim of the partnership was to develop a mutually-beneficial range of CSR opportunities with strong societal impacts, while also developing the skills and talents of our people. At the time, we did not fully understand all the positive benefits. It is only now, a decade later, that we realise the incredible value the partnership has offered to us and the development of our people, our profile and our position in the community.
In the decade we have worked together much has changed in the field of CSR. The CSR ‘product’ has accelerated and become more visible – reflected in the journey and nature of our partnership. The integrated approach to the delivery of the core product remains a fundamental component of the service. However, the vibrancy and innovation of flagship campaigns have provided opportunities to deliver high-profile projects that have a recognisable identity in the marketplace – and which show an inherent unity of purpose in partnership. ?

Elaine Radford is head of corporate social responsibility at DLA Piper. She can be contacted at elaine.radford@dlapiper.com