Community
Supporting our communities and increasing access to legal advice
Why this matters
Our reach extends beyond legal matters.
Our most notable achievements stem from our collective efforts, not only in law but also within the communities we serve, by helping to reduce inequality and improve access to justice.
Our ambition
We aim to create social impact by backing charities and organisations that resonate with our passion for inclusion, the arts and environmental sustainability.
We aim to increase the level of participation in our community activities and pro bono work.
Our progress this year
Our 2022/2023 contributions to charity totalled over
This included contributions by employees through payroll giving, donations, and fundraising. Funds were raised through a variety of events, such as abseiling Liverpool Cathedral and scaling Mount Snowdon.
Evolving Mindset was our employees' chosen charity this year. They provide free mental health and wellbeing services to the local community. Our partnership with the charity will have a meaningful impact on community projects in the Liverpool area.
The allocated funds will contribute to the provision of vital initiatives such as wellbeing clubs, drop-in clinics staffed by mental health practitioners, and tailor-made mental health programmes catering to the needs of young people and in particular, men.
Supported young creatives in our community through The Roundhouse Trust
There's a natural affinity between the work the Roundhouse is doing to inspire young people and the importance we place on supporting the arts, inclusion and the community.
As part of our partnership, our people and our clients have the opportunity to embrace creativity and connect with the arts in contemporary settings. As the principal partner of the 2023 Poetry Slam, we have helped to give emerging talent and young creatives new opportunities. Congratulations to the Poetry Slam Champion, Annabelle Fabian.
The Roundhouse is delighted to continue its longstanding partnership with Taylor Wessing, who share our commitment to fostering and celebrating the best in emerging young creative talent.
Your valued support helps us to drive lasting change and give life-changing opportunities to young creatives aged 11-30 years from all backgrounds; particularly as principal partner of our annual Poetry Slam, through your volunteering with our young people, and through contributing to our new Roundhouse Works building which opened in June 2023.
We are so grateful for your unwavering support which continues to have a real impact on young people's lives.
Louise Ajdukiewicz, Associate Director of Partnerships & Philanthropy, the Roundhouse
The surgery with Taylor Wessing was brilliant! They recognised the project and pointed out various efforts I could pursue to build financial support. They broke down financial terminology in an accessible way, helped me to identify who my potential partners could be, and gave me a solid plan to follow up in expanding the potential of my enterprise.
Taylor Wessing legal drop-in surgery participant
© John Williams
Improving reading skills of young learners
Every week, we organise teams of volunteers to visit LIPA Primary School in Liverpool and St Jude’s Primary School in London. This initiative provides valuable support to children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize
Our involvement with art galleries and charities plays a central role in helping us think differently and challenge expectations.
We are proud of our partnership with the National Portrait Gallery. The Photographic Portrait Prize is one of the most competitive photography awards in the world and showcases the work of some of the most exciting and cutting-edge contemporary photographers.
Creative thinking is at the heart of our culture and we see art as an important instrument of challenge and change. We take pride in supporting the Photo Portrait Prize, which continues to grow in international prestige and attract a growing number of artists.
Shane Gleghorn, UK Managing Partner
Sponsored the Merseyside Women of the Year Arts category
In 2023, we sponsored the Merseyside Women of the Year Arts category. This is a longstanding award that was created to find and reward the unsung heroines of Merseyside, to recognise their achievements in helping the community and giving extra meaning to people's lives across Merseyside.
We chose to sponsor the Arts, Culture & Media Award due to our existing partnerships with the arts (including the National Portrait Gallery, Tate and the Roundhouse).
The Awards champion change, support women and demand the recognition of their work and achievements within the Liverpool City region.
We are thrilled to be sponsoring the Arts, Culture and Media Award as part of the MWOTY Awards. We have a longstanding commitment to the arts as demonstrated by our support of the National Portrait Gallery and Tate Liverpool, including the Turner Prize 2022. So, this fits perfectly with our culture and values together with our strategy of facilitating diversity and equity in the workplace
Saleem Fazal, Partner and Head of our Liverpool office
Pro bono advice and access to justice to support Windrush survivors
We continue to host a legal advice clinic for the hundreds of British citizens of Caribbean heritage who were wrongly detained and deported through the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit.
Supporting The Blackfriars Clinic
We continue to support The Blackfriars Clinic by providing access to justice and delivering free legal advice to members of the local community.
The organisation of volunteers is run almost exclusively by our trainees sitting on the Blackfriars Committee. They address issues related to housing, employment, contractual disputes and small business concerns. During the 2022/23 academic year we advised approximately 30 clients, and we have ambitions to continue increasing this number.
Total pro bono hours
Values 2022-2023 FY
Number of lawyers involved
We have continued to grow the opportunities for our people to participate in pro bono work, including, excitingly, through participation in a new clinic providing advice on disrepair in social and council housing, which responds to a particular societal need right now, and engaging in a new initiative on the climate agenda.
Alexander Erskine, Partner
Next year's focus
We continue to plan and support our local communities by providing our people with a variety of ways to fundraise and give back their time and skills to make a long-lasting difference.
2024 will continue to require us to find new ways of giving and volunteering. We encourage each and every one of our people to provide time to the benefit of others.
Al Watson, Partner, Lead of our Community Steering Group