News & Views

Moray & Agnew will donate a vaccination to another person from a country in need for each employee of the firm who receives their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The firm is also topping up this donation for its people who may not be able to receive a vaccination. Geoff Connellan National Managing Partner said “COVID-19 impacts all of us as a global community. We wanted to help make a difference where we can by acknowledging our people having vaccinations whilst also supporting UNICEF’s program"

A great podcast by Lawyers Weekly Show discussing the benefits of Board work and how it makes more rounded legal professionals and provides rewarding personal growth. Hear about how and why Hamilton Locke partner Nick Edwards got involved with board work for NFPs and the flow-on professional skills that come with such work. Listen HERE

Following the release of its new sustainability strategy HFW has now launched a global sustainability challenge using specialist software that allows colleagues across the business to record climate positive lifestyle changes and measure the impact to their individual carbon footprint. Points will be awarded for every completed challenge, and the firm will award prizes each month to individuals that have achieved the greatest carbon savings. What a great way to engage staff and embed a preferred sustainability culture. Read more HERE

Join this free webinar that Informed 365 is hosting to hear what Australian Border Force has to say about what we have learned from Modern Slavery Statements submitted so far, and best practice to avoid mistakes for 2021/2022 Reporting. 

Date: 5 August 2021, 11am AEST Register HERE

Buildings account for 36 percent of global emissions, and so minimising them is critical to any organisations climate strategy and action plans. Everyday new tools and opportunities arise that can help you to reduce your energy use and GHG emissions. Digitization and automation developments can make commercial buildings more sustainable healthy and safe. Learn about the future of buildings, including key trends, challenges and opportunities to make buildings sustainable and healthy. Register HERE

Herbert Smith Freehills has just released a report exploring the key trends and pressure points as General Counsel mobilise to help companies tackle the high-stakes environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda. The report explores the increasingly central role GCs are playing and benchmarking varying attitudes, governance and tactics across nine core themes and forecasts across a range of industries. With investors, consumers, employees and nations all pressing companies to fulfil an expanding range of non-financial objectives ESG is set to be the defining business transformation challenge of the age. Click HERE to read the report

What are the differences and similarities between the gender pay gap and equal pay? AMPMA's webinar at 1:00pm of the 5th of August will  examine the WGEA national and industry level gender pay gap data  and talk about the drivers of and solutions to gender pay gaps. Register HERE

In response to increasing urgency for climate action and the success of science-based targets to date, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the global body enabling businesses to set emissions reduction targets in line with climate science, is unveiling a new strategy to increase minimum ambition in corporate target setting from ‘well below 2°C’ to ‘1.5°C’ above pre-industrial levels. Lila Karbassi, SBTi Board Chair and Chief of Programmes at UN Global Compact, said: “The SBTi has become the de facto standard for businesses to set credible targets to address the climate crisis. However, to have a fighting chance of limiting warming to 1.5°C, we need to urgently scale-up and mainstream the adoption of 1.5°C-aligned targets. Read more HERE.

AusLSA member, Ashurst has used the UN Sustainable Development Goals to identify areas of change across three pillars: how we engage with clients, who we are as a firm and how we give value to the communities in which we operate.

Global managing partner Paul Jenkins said "Sustainability is a critically important strategic business issue for Ashurst and our clients and our continued improvement in this area is a key aspect of the firm's strategy,". "Our Sustainability Goals chart a quantifiable path for the firm to continue to build on its culture of sustainability focused on helping clients capitalise on opportunities from the transition, progressing our journey to Net Zero and increasing our pro bono and social impact." Read more HERE

With a greater focus on impact, strategy and evaluation, the philanthropic sector could make a more significant contribution to support impact initiatives to address Australia’s greatest social challenges. However, creating a roadmap to achieve greater impact is, for many, a daunting prospect. Where do we start? What are the things we must do to drive meaningful change? Read the Menzies Foundation / Melbourne Business Schools recent report HERE