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Corporations increasingly subscribe to the principle of corporate social responsibility. CSR is based on the belief that demonstrating concern for the environment, human rights, community development and the welfare of its employees can make a corporation more profitable. And if not more profitable, at least a better place to work.
Law firms can learn from the corporate experience to create their own social responsibility programs. Programs like this can help law firms do good work. They can strengthen the firm’s reputation and market position. They can help the firm identify the culture and CSR activities of customers and potential customers. They can help lawyers and staff find greater meaning in their work and improve as human beings.
In the words of the Social Responsibility Action Committee at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Shrek: Be kind. be generous. be concerned. Donate time Donate effort donate money. Just find a reason and give it. You will soon learn that to give is also to take.
A panel discussion by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association on how law firms can learn about CSR and introduce some elements of it into their models. The event was held May 8 at Magziano’s Little Italy in Downtown Denver.
Panelists included Sarah Hogan, vice president of Barefoot PR; Bruce DeBosky, attorney and founder of The DeBosky Group, which focuses on philanthropic advice; Joyce Witte, Community Investment Advisor and Director of Encana Cares Foundation, Encana Oil & Gas (USA); and Amy Venturi, director of community relations and karma at Brownstein. The moderator was Corey Plotkin, President of Barefoot PR.
In law firms, the product is people – lawyers and support staff who provide high-quality legal services. It’s an easy fit. There are many ways in which this ‘product’ can contribute time, talent and treasure to socially responsible activities.
Social Responsibility: Focus and Strategy
Law Firm Social Responsibility is about making a difference to the community and profession, and within a firm. Even best efforts will have no effect if spread too thin. You can’t maximize the value of your contribution or tell your story if your efforts are minimal. A law firm needs a social responsibility focus and a strategy in order to decide how to most effectively invest its resources.
Social responsibility efforts should be authentic. Law firms and other entities should always avoid ‘green-washing’ – telling a story that is aspirational, but not actually true. Know thyself Let your firm’s unique culture and skills determine which endeavors to pursue and which to avoid.
When examining your culture, don’t limit yourself to partner input. Law firms are small communities, almost like families. Any attempt to define culture and social responsibility must represent not only the interests of lawyers, but also the interests of all levels of support staff. Efforts should be meaningful throughout the firm. The benefits to employee recruitment, retention and satisfaction can be significant.
DeBosky outlined three types of community involvement and stated his belief that a good social responsibility plan contains elements of all three.
In a traditional model, an organization ‘gives back’ to the community at random when asked as a good citizen rather than for any strategic purposes. In a social responsibility model, these efforts align with the capabilities of the business – such as the legal skills of lawyers. Every nonprofit needs legal advice.
In its most refined form, a social responsibility program involves using your core product – legal services – as a tool for social change. Volunteer with organizations such as the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, or the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center.
A strong focus makes decision making much easier. Encana, for example, focuses its charitable giving strategy on issues surrounding its product – natural gas. Brownstein will only donate money if a request comes from a client, or if one of their attorneys is a member of the organization and is on board.
Law firms looking for additional advice can find valuable resources within the Corporate Community Investment Network. CCIN is an association for professionals whose primary responsibility is to manage community investment programs in a for-profit business setting.
Many corporations and some law firms have actually created separate foundations to do some of their giving. A foundation comes with more restrictions and different tax methods. However, as entities with lives of their own, foundations are more likely than one-time endeavors to continue a useful existence.
Social Responsibility: Good Policies Make Good Decisions
Strategy and focus provide the foundation for an effective social responsibility policy. Most law firms are inundated with requests for good reason to endorse them. A policy helps you know when to say “yes” and when to say “no”.
In the law firm model, where all partners are owners with a sense of entitlement to resources, saying no can be very difficult. An intensely focused policy makes this much easier to do and keeps the firm’s efforts on track.
For example, Encana uses a five-step tool to determine the level of fit between a request and the company’s strategic goals in the field of natural gas – level five being the greatest commitment and level one the least.
level five effort Integrate the Core Product or Service and often include natural gas vehicles and energy efficiency initiatives using natural gas. These efforts contribute to best practices and leading trends in the industry, while enhancing the company’s reputation as a leader.
Level Four efforts focus on strategic partnerships and often include sustainable and long-term solutions such as workforce development initiatives, signature programs (which can be replicated in other markets) and multi-year grants.
Level three efforts include strategic grants To assist with projects, programs or initiatives undertaken for local non-profits aligned with natural gas.
Level Two Efforts Include Giving Accountable, which is a one-time gift for a broad community effort that has local support. Participation of company representatives is required.
level one effort Include the “T-shirts and banners” category, which includes one-day items such as dinners, receptions, golf tournaments, events and races. These provide the least amount of influence and awareness for the money, and therefore the least amount of support.
In Brownstein, requests made to the firm are judged by two factors. The firm only considers requests made by clients and requests made by organizations where one of its lawyers participates at the board level.
Social Responsibility: Engagement
Effective social responsibility programs involve not only checkbook involvement, but personal and professional involvement as well.
At Brownstein, the brand has always been about being apart of the community. Six years ago, Venturi was asked to formalize this essential component of the firm’s culture into a social responsibility program that would further energize the lawyers.
They began by spending 15 minutes with each attorney to discover their passions—which were used to identify a good nonprofit match. After all, attorneys and employees will stay involved and perform at their best when an organization is about something they care deeply about. If there is no join, placement will backfire.
Finally, Venturi provides the services of counsel to the nonprofit in some capacity – but it must be at the board level. Otherwise, she will not make a match.
Project Karma is a Brownstein program dedicated to volunteer opportunities, and holds a committee in each of the firm’s 12 offices. It sponsors informal luncheons and presentations by local nonprofits to encourage interest.
The message of active participation of lawyers and employees should come from the top. Brownstein makes it very clear that the path to partnership for a new attorney is based not only on legal skills, but also on engagement and involvement with the community.
Adding a community involvement component to attorneys’ reviews is important, even if it’s just one goal a year. This shows the lawyers that you are serious. Colorado Supreme Court asks each attorney to contribute 50 hours selfless work every year Integrating these programs leads to win/win results for the firm.
Not every firm can compete with the efforts of a large firm like Encana or a large law firm like Brownstein. However, there are good matches for firms of every size. Once again, it’s all a matter of focus.
In fact, it is much easier to get five members of a small firm to focus on a strategic initiative than 500 lawyers in a large firm. If a law firm has $10,000 to donate, that money goes a long way and makes a much bigger impact on one organization than a $100 donation spread across 100 organizations.
Small law firms can also increase their impact by partnering with others in an industry, such as vendors or clients, to support a particular nonprofit.
Social Responsibility: Return on Investment
Corporations measure the results of their social responsibility programs, and use these results to decide on further efforts. Law firms should do the same.
At the end of the year, Encana uses its five-tier model (outlined above) to analyze our charitable giving. How much was given at each level? The company then sends a form to each nonprofit asking the recipient to evaluate Result (figures for what was accomplished), Process (whether the efforts meet the intended audience) and Effect (what difference does it make).
Encana asks recipients to respond within 60 days, and uses this information to calculate its return on investment. Those who do not report back are not eligible for further contributions. Non-profits may be upset at first, but once through the process they change their minds – finding that it has useful strategic value.
It’s perfectly reasonable to ask a nonprofit to document the results achieved based on your contribution. This shows them that you are really invested in the organization. They’ll see you more as partners and connect with you differently.
Most corporations have created well thought out and strategic social responsibility programs and have benefited from them. Law firms have started doing the same. A program with a tight focus and strict guidelines guarantees maximum impact and awareness in return for the law firm’s commitment of time, talent and treasure.
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