Howard Kennedy LLP

At Howard Kennedy, we take our responsibility to manage our impact on people, communities and the environment seriously. That's why responsible business is integral to our business strategy.

Our approach focuses on:

• Nurturing an inclusive, values-driven culture where everyone can be themselves, with their development and wellbeing at the centre.

• Working to reduce our environmental impact and promote environmental awareness and responsibility among our people.

• Promoting equality of opportunity and access to justice by sharing our time and skills through volunteering, fundraising and pro bono services.

• Ensuring and maintaining the highest standards of professional integrity, operating ethically with clear and transparent governance.

• Working with suppliers who are compliant, responsible and share our values.

In addition, we advise clients on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) challenges, enabling them to implement an effective ESG strategy.

Diversity, equity and inclusion

We are committed to nurturing an inclusive, values-driven culture where people feel respected, supported and able to thrive. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at Howard Kennedy is driven by leadership commitment and colleague engagement. Our DEI Committee and five employee-led networks help foster belonging, amplify diverse perspectives and promote education and allyship across the firm.

Our approach is supported by inclusive recruitment practices, flexible and family-friendly policies, wellbeing initiatives, and learning and development programmes that embed DEI principles. We monitor progress through workforce diversity data, pay gap reporting, people surveys and engagement forums, helping to inform action and drive continuous improvement.

Social impact

Supporting the community in which we live and work is important to us. We aim to help tackle important societal issues where we can make the greatest difference. To maximise our impact and drive sustainable change, we nurture collaborative relationships with community organisations working in these areas.

We support Making The Leap, a social mobility charity supporting young people from less-advantaged socio-economic backgrounds, through fundraising, skills-based volunteering and advocacy. Since 2022, we have contributed more than £100,000 and over 500 volunteering hours in support of Making The Leap. Through employability workshops, career insight days and our Be Extraordinary work experience programme, colleagues help young people build confidence, develop workplace skills and explore career opportunities. Collectively, our fundraising and volunteering activities have supported 748 young people to date.

We also champion social mobility through awareness-raising initiatives, panel discussions and colleagues sharing their career journeys, helping to drive greater understanding of barriers to opportunity and widen access to the legal sector.

Pro bono

Through our Pro Bono programme, our lawyers use their legal expertise to support individuals, charities and not-for-profit organisations who may otherwise be unable to access legal advice. As members of LawWorks, we contribute to a range of pro bono initiatives that support access to justice. We are also signatories to the Joint Pro Bono Protocol for Legal Work and have recently joined the UK Collaborative Plan for Pro Bono, reflecting our commitment to delivering high-quality pro bono support.

Environmental impact

We are committed to operating responsibly and reducing our environmental impact. We have held ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems) certification since 2019, providing a framework for managing environmental risks, improving resource efficiency and embedding continuous improvement across our operations.

We work with an external climate consultancy to measure and analyse our carbon footprint in line with recognised international standards, helping us better understand our impact and identify opportunities for improvement. We also meet relevant regulatory requirements, including ESOS and SECR reporting.

Environmental awareness is supported through our Environment Committee, which engages colleagues across the firm in promoting sustainable behaviours through education, awareness-raising activities and volunteering opportunities.