At Bishop & Sewell, we are proud of our growing commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG).
We recognise the impact that businesses like ours have not only on our local community here in the central London, but also on the wider world around us and we are committed to improving our corporate sustainability, increasing awareness and acting as an example to other businesses in our field.
While we might not be able to directly control the global decisions that are made that worsen our ecological situation, there are still plenty of adjustments (big and small) that we can adopt which can make a difference. We believe that by doing all that we can – and we recognise there is a way to go – we can all contribute to a more sustainable, equitable, and socially conscious landscape.
As well as our own Bishop & Sewell charitable foundation, and in addition to the charities we support through our volunteer/pro bono scheme, we regularly take part in fundraising – and awareness-raising activities, sporting events and other initiatives in our offices and within the community.
As part of our drive to improve our environmental credentials, we are delighted to have signed the Green Litigation pledge. The pledge is for organisations involved in dispute resolution who share an aspiration to reach the position where the most environmentally sustainable options in litigation become the default. In signing the Greener Litigation Pledge, we have committed to take active steps to reduce, with a view to minimising, the environmental impact of our practice, and to the reduction of our emissions in line with the objective of restricting global warming to 1.5°C. Further details can be found here.
We are working to become as paper-less as possible and, in the meantime, have recycling points in each and every office for non-confidential paper waste, as well as recycling points in our communal areas.
Everyone working at Bishop & Sewell is entitled to one day each year where they can undertake either pro-bono or charitable work with three local charities we have committed to support.
To find out more about working at Bishop & Sewell, a Sunday Times Top Place to Work – visit our Join us pages.
The Bishop and Sewell Charitable Foundation was established by the then Designated Members of the firm (“the DMs”) at the instigation of our founding partner Stephen Bishop, with the intention of ‘giving something back’.
The aims of the charity were set for the benefit of those living, working, or studying within the city of London and its 32 London boroughs, ideally within the M25. Its charitable purposes are very wide, and it simply aims to benefit people within Greater London. Therefore, the Trustees of the Charity (who are the current DMs of the firm) have a wide discretion to use the funds for any charitable purpose, provided the funds are used within Greater London.
In England and Wales “charitable purposes” include alleviating poverty, furthering education, protecting the environment, advancing amateur sport, promoting animal welfare, advancing health/saving lives and advancing religion (amongst other causes).
The Foundation currently supports the following London based charities:
