Responsible Business

Pro bono work

We have a long-standing commitment to pro bono work and have worked with Advocate (formerly known as the Bar Pro Bono Unit) and Free Representation Unit for many years.

Our barristers have provided assistance to those who need it but cannot afford it, ranging from short advices to multi-day trials.

Collectively, we make four figure donations annually to Advocate (Bar Pro Bono). Individual barristers also give up their time to act as voluntary advisors at local law centres

Sustainability

We are continually looking at ways to reduce our carbon footprint and to adopt environmentally sustainable practices. As a member of the Legal Sustainability Alliance, we benchmark our carbon footprint and aim to continually reduce it.

Social mobility

We are committed to promoting wider access to the legal profession and to the Bar in particular. We aim to encourage young people to consider the law as a possible career for them when they might otherwise not do so.

We take part in work placement schemes organised by the Social Mobility Foundation and Pathways to Law, which give students the opportunity to spend time with working barristers and enables them to make informed decisions about a career at the Bar.

We participate in the Speakers for Schools programme, where we provide careers talks to local students. We also work with local schools and colleges, providing talks on a career at the Bar, mentoring students and offering work placements.

We assist the Citizenship Foundation in the Bar Mock Trial Competition, with mentoring initiatives that help to educate thousands of 15 – 18 year old students about the legal system.

We underpin these initiatives by funding expenses for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Charitable giving

In addition to supporting various local charities, we actively support our local Nottingham and Leicester Headway charities, which work to improve life after acquired brain injury.

To date, we have raised well in excess of five figures to help them continue their work and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

We also contribute to Billable Hour when we #humblebrag about our success in the legal directory rankings.

Living wage

By having properly rewarded and motivated support staff, we are in the best position to deliver our core values of excellence, service and integrity.

As such, we have been an accredited Living Wage employer for many years. The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually, based on the cost of living in the UK and is above the National Minimum Wage.

We believe that lawyers are fortunate enough to hold a privileged position in society and with that comes great responsibility.

We are committed to making a positive difference and have a long tradition of acting in a socially responsible manner, whether it is in respect of voluntary work, social mobility, charitable giving or our impact on the environment.

We make it our business to ensure that collectively we always try to give something back.

Jayne Adams QC
Head of Ropewalk Chambers