Arthur Cox

doing to its own people, the firm’s clients and the wider business community. “We hope that our Sustainable Business reporting is not only a showcase and benchmark for our own activities, but that it may also inspire others to establish and strengthen similar impactful relationships in their communities,” continues Moore.

The Arthur Cox Sustainable Business Impact Report is specifically designed to be an electronic document that can be easily read on screen. The firm is mindful of not wanting to waste paper by printing the report – particularly at a time when many people are working in a hybrid work environment.

ACCESS TO JUSTICE Arthur Cox collaborates with the Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC), a human rights NGO, through the firm’s Pro Bono practice. The firm provides free legal information to support the FLAC Information Line to empower communities as they navigate the legal system.

The FLAC phone clinic framework was developed with Arthur Cox to ensure that marginalised communities could continue to access legal information during the pandemic. Traditional face-to-face FLAC clinics were forced to close as a result of COVID restrictions. During the height of the pandemic, the information line became completely overwhelmed and many calls went unanswered. Arthur Cox offered assistance and a new collaborative project was established in July 2021. Arthur Cox volunteers underwent training with FLAC to assist with answering calls to its information line. The project has been a great support to FLAC and an opportunity for Arthur Cox lawyers to assist members of the community who might not otherwise have had access to answers to their legal queries. To date Arthur Cox volunteers have answered 1,000 calls for FLAC – these calls simply would otherwise have gone unanswered without the firm’s assistance.

Commenting on the project Moore says, “As a firm we are committed to contributing to the communities in which we operate in a manner that is both impactful and sustainable. The firm’s pro bono work is directly aligned with FLAC’s work which aims to promote equal access to justice for all where everyone can access fair and accountable mechanisms to vindicate their rights.”

Following the success of the project, some other law firms are also exploring opportunities with FLAC to follow suit with the work that Arthur Cox is doing. The project continues to expand by increasing the number of Arthur Cox lawyers involved in the initiative. An increased level of engagement further strengthens the firm’s culture of giving back to the community and helping people in need to access justice.

ARTHUR COX