b'FROM THE AusLSA CHAIRS Welcome to the 2019 AusLSA Annual Sustainability SnapshotCo Chairs Foreword Organisational sustainability is a journey, one that needs to start with a commitment to a direction, with an ongoing resolve to forge ahead.Todays leaders know that no matter how successful they are, standing still will not strengthen their organisation or allow their practices to reach their potential. Doing nothing in a climate of economic, social and environmental change is not a competitive strategic option. New directions, objectives, tactics and capabilities are vital for success now and in the years ahead.Effectively engaging with the progressive markets of the future depends on sharing the emerging sustainable values and social purpose of our customers. At the same time, tighter governance continues to require suppliers like law firms to show clients a stronger and clearer picture of their values and non-financial performance.Likewise, the expectations of law firms workforces are also changing as we transition through generations who require new approaches to attract and motivate them. With the arrival of Gen-i beginning from 2020, now more than ever, the best recruits are expecting their preferred employers to have aligned values.Every AusLSA member is on this journey, and while each of our journeys is different, we all believe that the future of our business lies in the pursuit of progressive and innovative approaches to address and improve sustainability performance. We cant see ahead to every turn, hill or adventure on our journey. We cant anticipate, plan or predict every issue we will need to resolve along the way. But with a willingness to explore and learn, and with enduring dedication, we will contribute to developing more sustainable businesses, and a better world, environment and societyHighlights In this report we have mapped another year of law firms progress as they continue to consolidate and build on strong positions across almost all the areas of our reporting framework.We have tracked AusLSA members as they have achieved greater commitments and levels of performance that have been built on over the last five years. Over ninety percent of members have resourced policies to improve Gender Equality, flexible working, Diversity and inclusion, LGBTI support and legal pro bono programs. Gender ratios for female partners climbed again this year increasing from twenty six percent in 2016 to thirty four percent in 2019Our member firms have also progressed in other key areas adding another successful year of improved performance. Gross greenhouse gas emissions reduced by a further 3.5 percent this year, adding to the twenty eight percent reduction since 2015. Members are also embracing the benefits of the paperless office with an impressive seventeen percent reduction in paper use, delivering an overall thirty percent reduction since 2016. The ongoing requirement for our members to travel to build their businesses and service their clients continues to present a challenge to achieve material reductions in travel emissions, with only a 1.3 percent reduction this year on top of the 1.8 percent reduction last year. Realistically, a significant reduction in travel related emissions is unlikely to be achieved quickly in an increasingly global business environment. As AusLSA members exhaust their practical emissions reduction options some firms have chosen to offset some, or all, of their greenhouse gas emissions. Development of markets for carbon offsets and improving processes to support becoming carbon neutral provide a great opportunity for law firms to transition to a new stage of carbon neutrality. Acknowledgments As well as welcoming back our existing members, the board welcomes our new members for 2019 including Davies Collison Cave, FPA Patent Attorneys, Holding Redlich Hunt and Hunt and LawcoverAusLSA is appreciative of the ongoing relationships we have with our thought leader allies who provide their insights across a wide range of sustainability issues included in AusLSAs Sustainability Framework and annual report. We would also like to express our gratitude to Informed 365 for their ongoing support in developing and maintaining for our reporting tools and to our graphic designer Blue Penguin Design.To all law firms who are not yet members of AusLSA we would encourage you to contact us to learn more about the benefits joining with your industry peers to share in and help guide your sustainability journey.Brendan Bateman Kelvin OConnor Co-Chair, AusLSA Co-Chair AusLSA AusLSA is grateful to Instant Flipbook for their assistance in presentation of this report.Partner, Clayton UtzConsultant1'