Leveraging social impact in the legal sector – Clyde & Co joins forces with the Breaking Down Barriers Commission
Global law firm, Clyde & Co, has partnered with the Breaking Down Barriers Commission to drive positive social impact across the organisation, and in the law sector more widely.
With 5,500 people operating from nearly 70 offices globally, Clyde & Co was founded over 90 years ago. Its teams of lawyers provide a range of legal services and advice to clients in its core sectors of insurance, aviation, marine, construction, energy, trade and natural resources. Despite its geographic reach, the firm prides itself on maintaining a single set of core values: to work as one; excel with clients; celebrate difference; and act boldly. These values are underpinned by a commitment to operate in a responsible way, developing a diverse and inclusive workforce that is valued, encouraged to flourish and representative of its communities and clients. The firm is also committed to supporting those communities through pro-bono work, volunteering and charitable partnerships and by managing its environmental impact.
The Breaking Down Barriers Commission, part of the wider Purpose Coalition, is an important initiative to tackle inequality. It aims to help redefine the role of business in society as part of a renewed partnership between government and business. It is focused on identifying and removing barriers to opportunity mapped against 15 Purpose Goals which encompass key life stages as well as a range of societal and economic issues. The Goals also allow organisations to share their best practice across a structured framework and encourage tracking and monitoring to measure progress.
The Commission will work with Clyde & Co to develop a report which assesses its current work on social impact and explores how it can go even further, with a more strategic approach to embedding opportunity.
Chair of the Breaking Down Barriers Commission and former member of Sir Keir Starmer’s Cabinet, Nick Forbes CBE said:
“With our new government making a clear commitment to equality of opportunity as one of its five missions, we have a real chance to reset the dial on how businesses can be forces for good, creating a positive impact for their colleagues, their clients and the communities they serve.
“The legal sector can be at the forefront of that change, and I am delighted that Clyde & Co has joined our partnership as industry lead for the sector to help shape a future agenda. Its working relationships with other important core sectors of industry means that it can leverage its position to effect even wider change. Whether that is engaging with those from underrepresented backgrounds to enable them to get in and get on, ensuring that social value is front and centre of procurement policies or scaling up its community work, it can play a significant role in creating a fairer society.”
Matthew Kelsall, CEO, Clyde & Co added:
“The knowledge economy will play a crucial role in the UK’s growth in the coming decade so increasing access to the broadest range of talent makes clear sense for the country as well as for professional services businesses like ours. At Clyde & Co, delivering the support and insights our global clients value requires diversity of thought, experience and skillset. Partnering with the Breaking Down Barriers Commission will give us new insights into our social impact so we can identify further steps to ensuring opportunities are accessible to everyone at every stage of their career.”
