Contributing to the community

Although we are a growing practice in terms of numbers and geographic coverage, we have a strong sense of community. This operates on various levels: our own community inside Norton Rose Group; and our local community in the city or country where we work, whether that's Paris, Bangkok or Bahrain.

Southwark is one of the most diverse areas in the UK and has been our local area for more than two years since our headquarters moved to More London. Southwark is the focus of a major urban regeneration programme which is designed to narrow the inequality gap and to promote environmental sustainability on a world-class level. The work of regeneration begins with skills building, and our staff are keen to be part of the solution.

We go into local schools in Southwark every week. In 2009, we achieved our highest ever number of primary school teaching partners: 66 people volunteer their time, each week, to run reading, sports and maths clubs at Tower Bridge Primary School and Hermitage Primary School. That adds up to 780 teaching hours over the course of a year, with a further 30 hours of administrative support from one of our banking know-how lawyers. A number of our senior support managers provide mentoring assistance to their counterparts at Tower Bridge Primary School and we also provide facilities at our office for teacher training.

Often, it is the small gestures we make that really help. With state-of-the-art offices, we are sometimes asked by local schools and charities if they can use our meeting or entertainment facilities for annual general meetings or fund-raising functions.

Paris is our second largest office, with more than 170 people. The partners and staff were keen to get more involved in their local community and instigated a series of pro bono and charitable activities.

Initiadroit

A number of partners and associates have signed up to participate in a programme set up by the Paris Bar in conjunction with the French Ministry of Education to enable pupils in secondary schools to receive legal awareness training. This is the second year we have participated in the scheme and it has proved a great success.

Le Rire Médecin

Our Paris office continues to support Le Rire Médecin, a charity that trains professional clowns who visit children in hospital. The charity aims to enhance the children’s quality of life during their hospital stay; to help change the negative image of the hospital by showing how humour and fantasy can be a part of hospital life; and to offer families and hospital workers some light-hearted moments. Each year, the clowns make over 50,000 visits to children. That’s a huge amount of fun!

L’Envol

During the summer 2009, 13 people from all teams spent a day at l’Envol, a charity that helps children with chronic illnesses. L’Envol takes in 72 children for 12-day holidays during spring and summer in their chateau near Fontainebleau. The children get all the medical attention they need and recover their self confidence through various activities, including art, horse riding and hot-air ballooning! The team worked on various projects, including gardening, painting and renovating benches and shutters and doing up an open-air theatre. Subsequently we have donated a number of computers and printers to help set up a computer room at l’Envol.