Responsible Business

• Environment – Minimising our impact on the planet addremove

  Dentons is fully committed to understanding the impact our operations have on the environment on both a local and global basis and taking appropriate actions to mitigate that impact.

  Aligned with our Firm’s global commitment to Business Ambition 1.5 degrees and Race to Zero, our region has set a science-based commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 with a near term target set for 2030.

  Everyday actions are at the heart of our sustainability journey and are vital to achieve decarbonisation. Our people lead the way across several projects, including collaborating with our suppliers on a continuous improvement project and directly reduce waste and consumption of natural resources which help us to achieve progress in our emission reduction.

  We have an Environmental Action Committee comprised of representatives from across the firm. Representatives from our early careers cohorts working alongside other Dentons colleagues to identify changes we can make to further our environmental sustainability efforts e.g. hosting sustainably and socially responsible events.

  As a member of Dentons’ Environmental Action Committee, I’m committed to finding meaningful ways to address environmental challenges specific to the Middle East. Being part of this committee allows me to explore innovative, region-specific solutions—whether it’s by reducing resource use or addressing waste management. I joined to help Dentons lead by example, showing that our offices across the Middle East can support Dentons’ UKIME sustainability goals while responding to the unique environmental needs of our region. – Trainee in Riyadh

• Inclusion & Diversity addremove

  At Dentons, inclusion and diversity is not just a core value, it is an integral part of our strategy. Building a more inclusive and diverse law firm is core to our strategy because it leads to better business outcomes for our clients, our communities and for Dentons.

  We believe in creating an environment where everyone can thrive. We work hard to nurture a sense of inclusion that is empowering to the individual, to the teams and to the Firm.

  Examples of our inclusion strategy include a focus on allyship programmes, access initiatives, mentoring programmes, and a series of events and conversations focussed on equity and inclusion.

  Our I&D Network Groups also play a huge part in fostering a sense of belonging and support for everyone at the firm. These groups include GLOW (LGBTQ+), Fusion (Asian Professionals), BPN (Black Professionals), Inspire (Gender Equality) and AccessAbility (persons with disabilities).

  Early careers colleagues actively help us to foster an inclusive culture.

  A good number of individuals from our early careers cohorts are actively involved in the different Network Groups, and some are even in co-chair roles. This provides an opportunity to establish relationships across the whole of the firm, to actively contribute to fostering an inclusive culture here at Dentons, and to develop a broader range of skills e.g. project management, delegation etc. Thanks to the hard work of many of our early careers colleagues activities such as Pride celebrations and the annual networking event for Black History Month have been huge successes.

• Wellbeing addremove

  At Dentons, your wellbeing matters.  We want you to work well and live well.

  We strive to promote and support the health and wellbeing of our staff; to enable everyone to work in a sustainable and rewarding way; and to respect the balance between professional and personal lives.

  We are committed to developing a working environment where people can be themselves, wellbeing is prioritised and mental and physical health can be discussed openly.  We want everyone at Dentons to be empowered to look after their health and wellbeing and to support their colleagues to do the same.

  We now have over 55 trained Mental Health First Aiders across the business, covering every office across the UK, Ireland and Middle East, with several early careers colleagues getting involved.

  We have an active Wellbeing  Action Group in place who meet monthly and help us to ensure a strong focus on wellbeing here at Dentons. Our early careers colleagues have been instrumental in helping us to mark key wellbeing and mental health dates.

• Pro bono and community addremove

  Our Pro Bono and Community programmes provide opportunities to help those in need in our local communities. Everyone in our firm has an allowance of investment hours to be active members of the community, supporting those who need our skills most. Being an active volunteer provides excellent opportunities to develop your personal and professional skills.

  We recognise the importance of supporting and bettering the communities in which we live and work and we support those who may be less advantaged than ourselves through numerous pro bono and community initiatives. Dentons’ employees invest significant time in volunteering and taking part in education initiatives as well as pro bono and fundraising efforts. We promote access to justice in the broadest possible terms by providing free legal assistance to charities and NGOs promoting important social causes and to low income and marginalised individuals and groups. Dentons also supports a wide range of small charities across the UK and Ireland with donations from the Dentons Charitable Trust.

  All early careers colleagues are actively involved in pro bono and volunteering opportunities. Many are regularly on the rota for our dedicated free legal advice clinic PopLaw, or regularly attending The Whitechapel Mission Homeless Shelter to cook and serve breakfast for the homeless and marginalised. A number are members of our charity committees, helping to organise fund-raising initiatives and events for Dentons nominated charities of the year.

  Pro Bono Case Study

  In 2019 Dentons joined an unprecedented collaboration with five other firms and an NGO (European Lawyers In Lesvos) to form the Greece Pro Bono Collaborative, a project to help address the current access to justice crisis for asylum seekers in Greece. The need to support these vulnerable people continues today. Volunteer lawyers undertake two-week mini secondments to provide pro bono assistance and advice to asylum seekers from ELIL’s centres in Athens or Lesvos.

  Megan Forbes (Associate, Real Estate, London) gave her impressions on the experience:

  In Lesvos, the work involves working with vulnerable asylum seekers who have often spent months travelling across the world to reach. My experience involved visiting the refugee camp and listening to some truly heartbreaking stories, where people are waiting in limbo to secure refugee status.

  I observed the ELIL lawyers who were able to communicate complex legal principles in an accessible way to people who had had unimaginable journeys to safety and where there was often incomplete information and a language barrier. The ability to simplify legal concepts and maintain focus under pressure is an invaluable skill and transferable to my practice in London. The experience reinforced how the law can be a powerful tool to protect human rights and how crucial it is to ensure that access to legal advice is available to everyone, not just those with means.

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