Many people attribute lawyers to be all about making money; heartless individuals who take pleasure in charging astronomical fees to those who cannot afford it. In my time working at MacRoberts I can firmly say this could not be further from the truth.
Ingrained in our firm values is that ‘giving back’ is a part of our every day. We very much see the purpose as two-fold. Firstly, to help us give something back to the community in which we work; and secondly, to foster a team spirit within the firm, making us closer as work colleagues and generating pride in who we are and how we work together.
Our approach to ‘giving back’ is not driven by an agenda set by partners, but rather allowed to grow organically, enabling all staff within the firm to contribute, volunteer or fundraise for causes that they truly believe in.
Everyone is encouraged to get involved with the firm contributing 640 CSR hours a year for staff to use as they wish and lend our expertise to up to 350 hours of pro-bono advice a year. A number of our charity partners are focussed towards the success and advancement of diverse, young people in Scotland. These partners include:
Action for Children – a charity that helps disadvantaged children in Scotland, from before they are born until they are late twenties, through practical services and programmes. Our support has included MacRoberts staff and partners taking to the catwalk for a fashion show to raise vital funds and providing starter packs for young people leaving care for the first time.
Another children’s charity we love working with is Glasgow Children’s Hospital – a charity that funds enhanced equipment and services at the Royal Hospital for Children – to ensure that all of their young patients receive the best possible care and experience. Our support has included members of staff ‘turning into’ Elves to help Santa deliver Christmas presents to the children and staff members getting their ‘bake on’ to raise vital funds for the hospital.
We have also recently partnered with Young Enterprise Scotland, a charity specialising in delivering enterprise education and entrepreneurship skills to a wide range of young people from 5 years of age to 30 years. We are thrilled to be able to provide them with legal advice, as well as MacRoberts staff members becoming business mentors for the groups they support and sitting on the YES board.
In addition, MacRoberts are proud members of the PRIME initiative, enabling young people from less privileged backgrounds the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in the legal sector.
Through the Power of Good we are able to give back to those who most need it, share our commitment to inclusion and do our bit to banish the stereotype of the heartless lawyer forever.
Laura Wilson
Head of CSR at MacRoberts LLP
