Social Impact

We do this through providing pro bono support, creating community partnerships, ensuring we provide equal access to the law, and building positive practices into our business operations.

Pro Bono

Pro bono work is an integral part of our legal practice and the ethos of our firm. Our people use their skills, time, and expertise to advise individuals, organisations and other entities that are committed to creating positive social impact.

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Community Partnerships

By creating partnerships with community organisations, we aim to address local needs and make a positive, lasting difference in our communities. Through focused fundraising and investment in local projects, we aim to create opportunities and strengthen the communities where we live and work. Examples of our work include:

Since 2011, we have partnered with a 'Charity of the Year' which allows us to focus much of our fundraising activities on a specific cause that our people care about. We commit to making an initial charitable contribution and match funds raised by colleagues.

Our current charity of the year is Trussell, a charity and network of food banks providing emergency food and support to people in poverty. As part of its mission to end hunger, Trussell also leads campaigns for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.

We partner with a mixed non-selective state school in Newham. The school is for students aged 11 to 16 and has over 850 students, many of whom are eligible for free school meals. As part of our partnership, we provide mentors to year 10 students who are looking for guidance on A-level choices, career planning, goal setting and confidence building.

Access to the legal sector

We believe that talent and potential should be recognised, regardless of background or circumstance. Through scholarships, mentoring, and partnerships with specialist organisations, we work to remove barriers and widen access to the legal sector.

Examples of our work include:

Our Bright Sparks programme provides work experience for year 12 students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. In partnership with PRIME, the programme includes workshops on building commercial awareness, understanding how a law firm works, application hints and tips and interview practice.

For more information about Bright Sparks, and how to apply, click here.

Our scholarship award is open to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds and offers £15,000 per year to cover the costs of university fees and contribute to living expenses. Recipients have a mentor from the firm, are invited to insight days , offered work experience, and guaranteed a place at an assessment centre for a training contract.

Watch this video to hear from Daisy Faraday and Mir Tasin, two scholarship holders.

To find out more about our scholarship programme and how to apply, click here.

We partner with Breaking Barriers, a UK charity that helps refugees rebuild their lives through education, training, and employment.

Breaking Barriers' mission is to help refugees in London acquire the knowledge, confidence and experience to get stable, fulfilling employment. We run employability skills workshops, and interview skills preparation, and volunteers from Stephenson Harwood share their skills and experiences of the legal sector and the working world in the UK.

To read more about our work on social mobility in the UK, click here.

Positive Practices

Embedding social impact into our firm means ensuring that our commitment to positive change informs every aspect of how we operate. We strive to make social responsibility a core part of our firm; from the way we source goods and services to the way we value and reward our people.

We are a London Living Wage employer ensuring that everyone who works for us, including our suppliers in the UK, are paid a fair wage.
We are a supporting member of Social Enterprise UK, a membership body that commits to helping organisations prioritise social value and support the social enterprise movement.