Responsible business
We act sustainably together as a responsible business driven by an inclusive, innovative, and learning culture.
Being responsible is not only one of our values, it's a core part of our strategic vision, governance structures, and board discussions. Working together with our clients and community partners, we aim to build better businesses and protect the world.
We act sustainably together as a responsible business driven by an inclusive, innovative and learning culture.
Being responsible is not only one of our values, it's a core part of our strategic vision, governance structures and board discussions. Working together with our clients and community partners, we aim to build better businesses and protect the world.
Protecting our culture of inclusion
We're committed to delivering an inclusive environment where we empower all our people to lead, learn, and grow. By bringing new experiences and viewpoints into the firm we're able to gain new perspectives, enhance teamworking, and create extraordinary results for our business.
Our inclusion programme has six priority areas, each with partner champions and network groups to drive engagement.
Gender balance
Cultural diversity
LGBTQ+
Social mobility
Wellbeing and disability
Family matters
We each have a responsibility to shape our culture, and our trainees are involved in the committees of all our inclusion networks. For more information on how we're working to improve inclusion, read our Gender Pay Gap and Diversity Reports.
Investing in our communities
We build long-term relationships with charities and community organisations that champion inclusion and the arts, including:
We began our relationship with the National Portrait Gallery in 2005, when Taylor Wessing sponsored The World's Most Photographed, an exhibition created by the NPG jointly with the BBC to showcase the most photographed personalities in the world. In 2008, we launched the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize, one of the most prestigious international photography awards, which showcases new work submitted by some of the most exciting contemporary photographers.
The Roundhouse is an iconic live performance venue and a 'hub' of inspiration and creativity. But the venue you know is only half the story. The Roundhouse is a charity that supports thousands of young people every year. Below the main space lies a space for diverse young people aged 11-30 to conceptualise, collaborate, and create. This includes musicians, poets, performers, and film and radio makers. We want to make a positive impact in our local communities, so we invest in initiatives such as the Roundhouse where tangible differences are made on a regular basis.
We work with Uptree to support their mission of increasing access to professional careers for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. We run insight days and mentoring programmes, including CV writing workshops, mock interviews, and building your brand workshops.
Taylor Wessing is proud to be a sponsor and supporter of the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre at 60-62 Hopton Street. The Centre initially came about as a pop-up Centre in response to the severe isolation and loneliness the LGBTQ+ community felt during the COVID-19 lockdown, and they aim to provide some comfort and solace for LGBTQ+ Londoners and their friends and allies. The Centre is now a permanent space. It works with some of the capital’s amazing LGBTQ+ service providers, offering a holistic programme of services, events, talks, and workshops, combined with a cafe space that invites visitors to simply just be. The Centre will always welcome you with open arms.
Evolving Mindset is our local Liverpool office charity, selected by the office in 2023. Evolving Mindset is an award-winning, non-profit mental health organisation established in 2019 to promote positive mental health in our communities. They deliver regulated and bespoke mental health training packages within organisations, schools, and the community sector. As a social enterprise, the profit received from their commercial activities supports them to provide free community mental health and wellbeing projects for individuals and families who need it most.
Informal relationships
We support many more community organisations via inclusion networks and local projects. We prefer to develop long-lasting strategic relationships rather than short-term relationships.
You can make a difference by fundraising, mentoring students, or using your paid volunteering days to give back to your local community.
We also have a strong focus on pro bono work. Our trainee solicitors provide vital access to justice via legal advice clinics, where you'll experience the impact the law has on people in our local community whilst developing new skills and gaining valuable experience.
Reducing our environmental impact
We recognise the urgency of the climate crisis, and we are acting now to reduce carbon emissions.
We are dedicated to driving positive cultural and operational changes across our firm and supply chain, to achieve net zero for our business. To read more about our progress on our environmental agenda, click the button below.
Get involved
We have an established Environment network, with client-facing representatives from every area of our business. Their role is to help drive increased collaboration on ESG services and engage with clients on all matters relating to our responsible business performance and ESG services. To find out more about our ESG services and case studies, please visit our website.
If you are also interested in supporting Taylor Wessing as we move on our environmental agenda, then you can join our Environment network. If you would like to get involved, or have any suggestions, please contact the Sustainability team.
Our initiatives
We have an open dialogue around disabilities from the start; whether that involves addressing concerns related to our recruitment process or working environment. In partnership with MyPlus Consulting, we embed disability confidence throughout our student recruitment strategy, from attracting candidates through to assessment and onboarding.
Through our engagement with the MyPlus Students' Club, we promote opportunities to students with disabilities, long-term health conditions, and neurodiversity, particularly at our events and Open Days aimed at underrepresented groups.
We've partnered with myGwork, the largest global business community of LGBTQ+ professionals, graduates, inclusive employers, and allies who champion workplace equality. It empowers the LGBTQ+ community by providing a safe space where members can:
- connect with inclusive employers
- discover jobs
- access mentors
- attend professional events
- participate in training
- stay informed with relevant news.
We also participate in WorkFair, the largest virtual career fair for the LGBTQ+ community. We regularly contribute to blogs and webinars and promote our opportunities on the myGwork jobs board to further establish Taylor Wessing as an LGBTQ+ friendly employer.
We have partnered with Aspiring Solicitors for several years supporting the objective of increasing social mobility within the legal profession. More recently we have built a Head Start programme with Aspiring Solicitors which enables us to provide support and guidance, reducing any barriers, at all stages of the career, from joining our Vacation Scheme to qualifying with the firm.
Not every candidate’s achievements look the same on paper. That’s why we use Rare Recruitment's Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) to consider every student's achievements in context, helping to identify those with the greatest potential, from all backgrounds.
We have a duty to protect our planet and the responsibility to preserve the environment for the early talent we recruit. That is why we have been proud signatories of the Sustainable Recruitment Alliance since its inception. Our focus is to be mindful during early careers processes to reduce the amount of merchandise, travel, food, and onboarding materials that are used and wasted. We also prioritise ethics – ensuring we are working with suppliers that protect people involved in our supply chain, as well as the environment.
