Muckle wins national award for its voluntary and charity legal work
We have won a national award for our significant contributions to voluntary legal work, worthy causes and charitable organisations.
We won ‘Best contribution by a firm with a Regional Head Office’ in the LawWorks Annual Pro Bono Awards 2017 at the Law Society, London, in recognition for the breadth and range of our pro bono activity.
In the last 12 months, We have provided pro bono advice worth over £77,000 and over 50 charities have benefited from our legal expertise.
We won the award in recognition of our work and strong links in the North East communities and charities sector, and were the only North East law firm to be nominated for any LawWorks awards in 2017.
The awards celebrate achievement in legal pro bono work and the commitment of the legal sector in enabling access to justice and supporting individuals, communities and not for profit organisations.
Alasdair Douglas, Chair of the LawWorks Board of Trustees, said: "The LawWorks Pro Bono Awards are an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the commitment of law firms, in-house teams and the many individuals who volunteer their time and expertise to improve the lives of others."
Senior Partner Hugh Welch was presented with the LawWorks Award from Hilarie Bass, President of the American Bar Association and one of the most recognised female attorneys in the United States. Hilarie is Co-President of international law firm Greenberg Traurig and a prolific trial attorney with a highly successful career spanning more than 30 years.
Hugh said: “As a responsible business and employer our pro bono activities are an integral part of our wider CSR activities. There are unacceptable levels of deprivation in the North East of England and as a leading business in the region, we feel that we should not operate in isolation from the broader community and its many challenges. It is this commitment to our region that has driven the development of our CSR and wider community activities.
“Over the last 15 years we have achieved a considerable amount, but there is always more that we can do. This is why, over the last two years we have embarked on more initiatives to further extend our work and volunteer our support.
“We have entered into an arrangement with Skillsbridge, a local project which links charities with businesses. We asked them to focus on the West End of Newcastle and we are now helping three local projects there, including Success4All and JET.”
A recent independent report conducted by Goodlabs Consulting has also revealed the extent and breadth of our commitment to giving back to the community it serves and the good causes in the region that we have supported over the last two years.
The report revealed the full spectrum of CSR work being undertaken by us – not just for our extensive pro bono work but also for our commitment to helping the environment, financial grant-giving, staff volunteering and supporting young people’s journeys from education to employment. The comprehensive review revealed three impress ingredients to our success: ambition, breadth and consistency.
The Goodlabs report states: “Within the legal sector, Muckle LLP occupies a position of leadership in the area of corporate social responsibility. The firm’s integrity and commitment has been demonstrated over two decades. There is a special sense of CSR vocation within the Muckle culture that is translated into leadership both within and beyond its moorings in the legal sector.”
Background information
We donate 1% of our annual profits to a charitable fund which gives grants to local projects and charities. Since 2002, we have donated more than £500,000 to our charitable fund and make annual grants of £25-30,000. In the last 12 months, 23 local charities and projects have received grants from the charitable fund.
We actively promote volunteering, with everyone in the firm entitled to two days’ annual paid leave to pursue volunteering opportunities. A third of employees have helped more than 60 organisations by acting as trustees of charities, school governors and volunteer coaches for a variety of educational and sporting activities.
Lawyers also provide valuable unpaid legal advice to a range of charities. Their pro bono activities over the last 12 months have helped over 50 charities and clients, amounting to over £77,000 worth of free legal advice. The Goodlabs report estimates that this figure is understated by 50%.
We are committed to helping young people to overcome the legal barriers to entering the legal profession through our work with local schools and our inspiring careers programme. The work of our green team monitors and minimises its environmental impacts.
For more information on how we can help your business, contact Hugh Welch, or call 0191 211 7903.