Corporate Social Responsibility

CSR strategy and staff engagement

Our CSR strategy is designed by and for our staff to deliver change that is important to our people and to our local community.

MarketPlace

Our marketplace programme focuses on accessibility, legal aid and pro bono.

• Pro bono - We are proud to be one of the founding signatories to the Pro Bono Pledge Ireland, an initiative launched in November 2020 that seeks to promote access to justice and to the provision of pro bono legal assistance for those in need. The pledge provides a common definition of pro bono, as well as a commitment to a minimum target of 20 pro bono hours per lawyer per year. Our Pro Bono team is led by Tony O'Sullivan (former President of the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association). We act as board member for a range of charities, providing advice to many charities and people in need of advice. 
• Law Society Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Charter – We have pledged our commitment to the Law Society’s Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) Charter. By signing the GEDI Charter, we have agreed to treat all individuals and groups of individuals fairly and equally and no less favourably, specific to their needs, in areas of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, race, class, disability or membership of the Traveller Community.

COMMUNITY

Our community programme is focused on charitable fundraising and advocacy. Since we launched our CSR strategy, community activities include:

• Fundraising events - As part of our community programme, we host staff events monthly which have raised many tens of thousands for over 40 charities with a particular focus on health, homelessness and children. These include the Irish Heart Foundation, Suicide or Survive, Barnardos, Operation Smile, Simon Community, Peter McVerry Trust, Haven, Our Lady's Hospice, Concern, St Vincent de Paul, St. Francis Hospice, Action Aid, Women's Aid, BeLongTo, IRFU Charitable Trust and Belvedere Youth Club. 
• Participation with charitable causes - We also often participate in fundraising activities outside of our organisation for many charities and for the betterment of our local community and society at large. Some organisations we have helped include Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, Crumlin Children's Hospital, Oxfam, Peter McVerry Trust, the IRFU Charitable Trust and Adi Roche's Chernobyl Children's Charity.
• Calcutta Run - The Calcutta Run is the Law Society's annual fund raising event which raises much needed funds for both GOAL and the Peter McVerry Trust. As part of our community programme, Beauchamps has increased its involvement with this event to support these two charities. Beauchamps was presented the Silver Clarity Award for our participation and Contribution over 2019 and 2020! 

• NEIC TY programme -  Beauchamps have been active participants in the NEIC TY Programme was launched as part of the Governments’ initiative to regenerate Dublin’s North East Inner City. This programme aims to maximise educational and training opportunities for young people from the area with the goal of keeping them in education and increase their career prospects. Beauchamps were delighted to offer them a very hands-on experience, placing them in many of our departments to give them a real insight into the workings of a law firm. A number of valued members of staff have joined us through this programme. 
• Dublin Devils Football Club - Beauchamps is a proud sponsor to the Dublin Devils and our continued support has allowed the Devils to grow and develop as a club, so that they can continue to offer a social and sporting outlet to Dublin’s LGBT+ community.

• Dragon at the docks – we enter a team of our fiercest dragons to join this boat race each year to help in the mission to raise greater funds to alleviate homelessness in Dublin with the Dublin Simon Community.
• John F Buckley Cricket Match – We sponsor and take part in the Annual John F Buckley cricket match between the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association and The Bar of Ireland. 

Environmental

Our environmental programme focuses on green initiatives, transport, recycling and technology. We recycle 8000 tonnes of paper each year and we recycle technology which is no longer fit for purpose.

• Partnership with Camara, PC recycling and reuse - As part of our environmental programme, Beauchamps' PCs and other technology are shipped via Camara to schools for reuse in Kenya, Zambia and Ethiopia. This means about 2000 children from highly disadvantaged communities will become digitally literate as a result of reused Beauchamps' computers. There are also significant environmental benefits to this programme as 60 to 70% of the energy consumption of a desktop used during its lifetime is embedded at the manufacturing stage.
• Employee travel - We provide tax-saver travel cards (25% employee take-up) and bike to work schemes (60% employee take-up) to staff to encourage use of public and environmental friendly forms of transport.
• Energy saving protocols - Our energy saving protocols resulted in energy saving of approximately 20%. Key protocols include auto switch-off light fittings, limited lift usage, energy efficient heat and air conditioning systems, cooling systems in IT rooms and the use of virtual servers.
• Secure Print Environmental Savings during 2020 to 2021 equated to 1.06 million litres, 12.7 trees and 3,081 kilograms of Co2.

People

Our workplace programme is focused on workplace, development, employee wellbeing and diversity and inclusion. Our activities in this area are focused on:

• Employee wellbeing - As part of our workplace programme, we have a number of initiatives designed to safeguard the physical and mental health and wellbeing of employees. These include onsite yoga and pilates classes, running clubs, vaccinations, nutrition, and wellness coach. We are continually investing in our building, IT and process infrastructure to create comfortable working environments and greater efficiencies in terms of how we work.
• Diversity and inclusion - We value diversity throughout our firm as it helps us to achieve more for our clients. Diversity is essential to avoid “group think” and helps us approach problems from a variety of viewpoints. Our initial particular focus is on achieving a number of gender diversity goals to build on our current gender diversity with 45% female partners and 49% female legal staff. This is supported by our hiring practices and our female leaders initiative, which engages our female lawyers and clients and provides development opportunities to female professionals. Beauchamps also supports flexible working hours for a number of staff members to accommodate their priorities outside of the firm. 
• Wellness week - We have an annual wellness week and a wellness programme in place for our employees to participate in which targets their physical, social and mental well-being. During this week, our employees could participate in activities and events such as group lunchtime walks, meditation classes, stress management classes, competitions for gym memberships, mindfulness lectures, healthy eating seminars and nutritional consultations.