Environmental Social
Governance Statement.

Here’s the thing …

What we offer is intangible – try holding legal advice in your hands, yet our actions are having an impact on both society and the environment. When this impact is positive, we’re delighted. When it is detrimental we know we have work to do to make improvements!

So HM3 Legal is taking action.

In 2023 we are aiming to be a B Corp (benefit corporation). As you read this we are busy reviewing, measuring and setting targets for improvement. By embedding purpose into the business we are becoming a force for good, championing change in professional services.

Being ‘seen’ to be green is not how we roll. We are committed to changing lives for the better for clients, colleagues and communities.

Being the difference. That is our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) statement in a nutshell.

Our plan includes building a business that operates for all stakeholders, and have changed our Articles of Association to reflect this. We have signed up to the Better Business Act, as we believe that changing UK law to ensure every company in the UK aligns their interests with those of wider society and the environment is not a nice to have – it is a must have. And it starts with updating Section 172 of the Companies Act.

There are plenty of terms, acronyms and buzz words around: ESG, green economy, SBTi, SDG, #greenwashing #greenhushing and blue rinsing (actually we added the extra one in at the end).

What does this mean?

Taking positive action. It means not being content to say ‘we want to make a difference’. Instead: We’re making a difference by taking action, and here’s how …

Our three areas of focus are:

  1. People. Our personal and professional development programme is designed to nurture individuals so they can progress. We offer an inclusive environment which encourages equity, diversity and equality, leaving no-one behind. We give back time and resources to our local communities by supporting charities and organisations, and sponsoring events which make a tangible difference to peoples’ lives. We are members of UK for Good work with our associates to promote sustainable choices.
  2. Planet. We continue to review the impact of our business practices are having on the environment: reducing energy and water consumption, and waste, increasing up-cycling and re-cycling and being responsible for hazardous waste. Our sustainability goals are addressing ways to lessen our negative impact both at work and while working from home. We are opening up new discussions with our supply chain so encouraging others to make sustainable choices.
  3. Prosperity. Focussing only on the bottom line is, well, so last century. The world would benefit from more businesses having a bigger purpose beyond making gazillions in profit. Just because they can. Sometimes with disregard for much else. We believe this is not the path to build a bright future for people or the planet. We want to grow our business in a sustainable way and are putting internal processes in place to achieve this goal. We believe that growing a business should not (literally) cost the earth!

A brighter future for all

We recognise that there is a climate, ecological and social emergency and believe that we are living through the ‘decisive decade’ to act. Decisions taken today will echo through the generations – we want to be part of a brighter future. UK For Good membership is helping us connect with like-minded progressive businesses that are taking the lead, running businesses focussed on sustainable growth and building resilience.

Why be a sustainable business?

Research by B Lab UK shows that:

  • 76% of the UK public think business should have a legal responsibility to the planet and people, alongside maximising profits

And according to Forbes:

  • 88% of customers want businesses to step in and help them to make a difference to social and environmental issues.

Reducing our impact: office and home working

We are taking steps to reduce the direct and indirect impact our business is having on people and the planet. We are an information-heavy industry, relying on paper, and physical and virtual storage. We are calculating the impact of running our our offices, and over the next year or so are (ambitiously!) aiming to calculate our homeworking impact, and displaced emissions too.

HM3’s Road to Net Zero by 2030

We are meeting challenges, but we are committed to having a clearer view of our impact so we can set credible and repeatable reduction targets from not to 2030. This includes assessing energy, water and transport.

We may not achieve what we want to in 2023, but we are continuing to improve wherever we can.

HM3 Legal is developing an Impact Report that will set out key goals, targets and results. Our 5 areas of focus:

  1. Benchmarking our Scopes 1 & 2 to understand areas of high impact (Scope 3 to follow).
  2. Measuring our greenhouse gas emissions, water and material use and setting reduction targets.
  3. Delivering a programme that benefits local society and the environment.
  4. Auditing materials used, adopting responsible procurement where possible and reducing waste going to landfill via refurbishing, recycling or upcycling office equipment and tech.
  5. Taking action on the climate: raising awareness, influencing, and forming partnerships that contribute to achieving the Paris Agreement.

Ethical marketing and ways of doing business

HM3 Legal is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and is committed to operating in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, including those concerning accounting and auditing, and prohibits fraudulent practices by any of its board members, officers, employees, or volunteers.

We believe our marketing and communications should be in plain English and transparent about what we do and how we work. We build relationships based on trust and integrity, and believe in honest marketing – no hard sell or hidden costs in line with our fixed fee options.

Our top marketing principles:

  • No hard sell.
  • No hidden costs or dodgy deals – just honest, clear pricing.
  • No pestering – we will not repeatedly contact people who do not wish to hear from us (we do have a duty of care to make sure your legal paperwork is right for your current situation including through life changes such as buying property or getting a divorce to make sure you are legally protected).
  • No spam – we don’t send unsolicited marketing emails and contacts can manage their preferences at any time.

We stick by our principles, promptly responding to and investigating any reported issues