Weightmans announces new CSR ambitions

Friday, 29 February law firm Weightmans celebrated the CSR efforts of all staff over the last 12 months and announced its ambitions for 2008.

The event at the firm’s head office in Liverpool was organised to encourage everyone to sign up to the numerous CSR initiatives planned for the year ahead. The aim is that by 2009, the majority of staff will be involved in some form of CSR activity.

In Liverpool, recent initiatives undertaken for the local community include; collecting and packing essential supplies for Centre 56 - the local refuge for women and children affected by domestic violence; bringing the gardens of Walton Church back to life and painting the Phoenix Futures rehabilitation centre in Birkenhead.  The firm has qualified for Silver status for the number of staff who have signed up to payroll charitable giving and Weightmans’ employees also take part in Right to Read, and Ready to Work Schemes .

Now, the firm has selected ten new local projects which Peter Forshaw, the nominated CSR partner at Weightmans hopes to get everyone involved in. Some of these include decorating local care homes and embarking on environmental clean up operations at the Mersey Estuary.

Said Peter Forshaw:

“The aim of the launch was to further educate our people internally about the firm’s CSR policy and get everyone involved in upcoming initiatives.

"Since we launched our CSR strategy nearly 12 months ago, the response from both staff and clients has been hugely positive and we want to build on that success. We are confident and ambitious about what we can achieve and it is great to see that everyone is on board.  In the next 12 months, staff will be involved in various exciting projects for charity, from abseiling down city centre buildings, and running the London Marathon, to fundraising parties and scaling the Yorkshire 3 Peaks.”

“As one of the leading Liverpool law firms it is our responsibility and pleasure to give something back to the local community.”

Val Shannon from Weightmans’ Liverpool office nominated charity Claire House attended the event with David Smallshore from Business in the Community.

At the launch party, the firm’s new funding policy was also announced, to enable all staff to apply for funding to cover all expenses for team or individual CSR initiatives, with a particular emphasis on events to support Claire House.

In March 2007, Weightmans launched its first charity initiative in which the firm decided to give 1,000 staff nationwide 2 days extra leave a year to volunteer in the local community.