We use our expertise to make a difference. We encourage our people to use up to 25 of their annual working hours for pro-bono activities.
We minimise our impact on the environment. We reduce, re-use and recycle wherever we can. We encourage environmentally friendly travel, promote environmental issues and encourage all our people to think green.
We support our communities. We use a mixture of charitable giving, fundraising, volunteering and pro-bono activities. Our themes are education and employability, environment and regeneration, and sports and arts.
We treat our suppliers fairly. As you'd expect.
We encourage our people to achieve their potential. This benefits them, our clients and us.
Future First - A case study
Osborne Clarke has an ongoing commitment to education and employability. The London office wanted to work with a school in a nearby borough through a community education partnership. It was important to us to choose a school with which we could build a long-term relationship and also create a programme where we had specific goals for the students and volunteers. The partnership with George Green’s school began in 2010.
We discussed at length with the school and Future First the root causes of social immobility. Based on those conversations, both Osborne Clarke and Future First designed a tailored employee volunteering programme. It offers all our colleagues a variety of ways to engage with the school depending on their individual motivation, experience and availability.
For the first programme run in 2010, opportunities included: a series of Career Insight Days providing students in Years 11 and 12 with; the chance to step inside the corporate world for a day; CV and interview technique workshops; confidence and awareness building sessions; networking opportunities and a guided tour of the City to demystify its status and make it seem more familiar. This programme has been shortlisted for a high-profile Social Mobility award.
Based on the success of the initial programme we have committed to a new 3-year programme with George Green’s and Future First. From 2012 to 2015, we will work with a select group of students (currently in Year 9) to help them make the right decisions now to enable them to fulfil their long term goals. As they progress through the school, we will continue to work with them each year. This year, for example, we will help them choose their GCSE options and build a strong key skills base.
Nynke Brett, Head of Corporate Partnerships, Future First explains: ‘’We’re absolutely delighted that Osborne Clarke has committed to a new 3-year partnership with George Green’s school in Tower Hamlets. The firm’s exemplary role in supporting a group of Year 9 students through their GCSEs will have a significant impact on raising their aspirations and confidence to make informed decisions about their futures.’’
Simon Marshall of Osborne Clarke says: “The new programme goes to the heart of Social Mobility as an issue. We have taken some of the brightest students from George Green’s and offered them a chance to fufill their potential. Critically, we have also involved the students’ parents in the programme and have the backing of the teachers at George Green’s. We believe that combining those elements will make the programme a great success.”
Click here to see details of our latest event with Future First