RPC

At RPC, people are at the heart of everything that we do. And that is critical to our success.

We've put into place a number of initiatives and development programmes to not only support our people as they progress through their careers, but to also ensure that our population and our culture is as reflective of society as possible.

Internally, our all-encompassing allies network, allies@RPC, spans our UK and Asia offices and underpins our eight I&D networks (we call them "Work Streams") covering gender, ethnicity, disability, social mobility, faith, mental health, LGBT+ and caring responsibilities. The firm runs a particular Work Stream spotlight every six months. Meanwhile, RPC RAIN, the firm's LGBT+ network, spans the firm's London and Bristol offices and supports and advocates for the LGBT+ community (both within the firm and externally).

Externally, we partner with a number of different networks and organisations, including the 30% Club, Cityparents, Stonewall, Business Disability Forum, Aspiring Solicitors and SEO. We are also a signatory of the Race at Work Charter, the Law Society's Women in Law Pledge, the Mindful Business Charter and Rare's Race Fairness Commitment.

We also have an established CSR Taskforce, our governing body overseeing our three separate Work Streams for Pro Bono, Charity & Community and Environment.

Our Pro Bono Work Stream, which is made up of members from across our four offices, focuses on working with a range of underprivileged groups, financial crime and student pro bono outreach and training. Our lawyers also volunteer their time and expertise on a range of other projects including Launch It, Justice Without Borders and Liberty Advice Line.

They anticipate there will be more requests for pro bono support later in the year and are considering whether there is appetite to support or join an additional pro bono focused project in an area significantly impacted by Covid-19, eg legal advice for the newly homeless or those being removed from rented accommodation.

Our Charity & Community Work Stream have narrowed down a proposed shortlist of new charity partnerships for our London office, for consideration by our Executive Committee, following which it will be put out to the firm for a vote. The Work Stream have previously been organising charitable fundraising on an ad hoc basis, arranging for the firm to participate in initiatives such as Jeans for Genes and the National Macmillan Coffee Morning. Our Bristol office has partnered with Duchenne UK and have participated in a number of fundraising activities over the past year – including a lockdown version of the 'Duchenne Dash' (a 300km cycle ride from London to Paris) and an Insurance Partner dyeing her hair pink to raise money for the charity.

The Environment Work Stream have teamed up with the Planet Mark which has carried out a review of our practices and has produced a report for us with recommendations on additional things the firm can do to minimise its environmental impact. The Work Stream are in the process of considering the findings, actions and next steps.