SJ Berwin - PLUM 2009

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CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has always been at the heart of SJ Berwin’s culture, which has
developed over time into five key strands most important to us: Going Green (Environment), Our People
(Diversity), Pro Bono, Community and Charity. Each strand has an active working group to drive the
initiative and organise events.
Community
The Community aspects of SJ Berwin’s CSR initiative
are as exciting as they are varied and thoroughly
worthwhile. SJ Berwin recognises its responsibility
to the local Southwark community and dedicates time
and resource to offering opportunities and benefits
to a broad cross-section of people in the local area.
• We actively participate in local blood donating
sessions, so much so that the firm intends to setup
its own service from the office, complete with
its own bespoke blood van!
• We have an ongoing relationship with Riverside
Primary school. Lawyers and non-fee earning
staff alike have ‘rotarised’ their lunchtimes to read
to the school’s students. Furthermore, the firm
participates in the Times’ Books for Schools
initiative, and aspires to donate a whole library
of new reading material to the pupils.
• SJ Berwin has recognised the growing Muslim
community of Southwark and Tower Hamlets by
helping to launch ‘Mosaic’, the Muslim Mentoring
Network. Under this programme, a selection of
SJ Berwin’s employees have been inspirational role
models to young Muslim females, providing one
to one mentoring sessions, and presentations
to groups of students visiting the firm.
• We help out with providing sponsorship money
and sweatshirts in support of the Winter Festival
at Shakespeare’s Globe. This year we also hope
to encourage children from Riverside Primary to
perform at the festival, accompanied by a few
star-turns from SJ Berwin staff!
• We work in partnership with The Charter School,
in Southwark. Trainees and associates visit the
school for three two-hour sessions per term to
deliver the Citizenship Foundation's Lawyers in
Schools programme. This programme gives
students the opportunity to learn about various
areas of the law, such as employment law,
consumer law etc., in an interactive setting.
• In 2009, we designed and ran a one-week work
experience programme for year 10 students from
The Charter School. Students were given ‘real’
work to complete, not just from legal teams, but
also from marketing and recruitment also.
Throughout the week the students prepared mock
SJ Berwin training contract applications, before
facing interviews at the end of the week.
• We support Southside Young Leaders' Academy,
an academy of young Afro-Caribbean boys who
want to reach their highest potential as leaders.
The boys are to complete a project on music
piracy, written by an SJ Berwin trainee, to test their
communication skills, management skills and
research skills etc. The winner will shadow Ralph
Cohen, SJ Berwin's Managing Partner for a day,
as well as receiving a prize for the whole family.
Students from The Charter School Work Experience Programme