With good governance, we ensure that the firm is well run and meets regulatory requirements, and that our people know what is expected of them in terms of conduct. Maintaining good governance benefits wider society as it promotes trust, fairness and legitimate transactions.
The firm has a number of governance committees. These include: the Partnership Committee (PCOM), our main strategic board, chaired by our Senior Partner, Chris Seaton; and the Executive Committee (ExeCom), chaired by our Managing Partner, Roger Bull, which is responsible for the delivery of strategy against agreed priorities.
There is a specific Responsible Business Committee, chaired by the Senior Partner. This directs our responsible business approach and frames our engagement with our stakeholders and the wider community.
We operate to high standards. We have attained accreditations in ISO 9001 quality management, ISO 14001 environmental management, ISO 27001 information security and ISO 22301 business continuity.
Our people are required to conduct themselves in line with specific standards, including the SRA Principles and Code of Conduct and the requirements of the Law Society of Scotland and the Law Society of Northern Ireland. Our code of conduct is communicated to our people through formal induction processes and on-going training, supported by our e-learning and compliance management system.
Our Risk and Best Practice team supports the firm’s compliance with the governing regulatory authorities. It conducts internal audits to mitigate risk and drive continuous improvement.
We have a Whistleblowing Policy and Grievance Procedure by which our people can report any issues that they may encounter at work.
Policies relevant to responsible business
The policies relevant to responsible business include our:
- Quality Policy
- Business Continuity Policy
- Data Protection Policy
- Information Security Policy
- Procurement Policy
- Equality Diversity and Inclusion Policy
- Human Rights Policy
- Health and Safety Policy
- Environmental Policy
- Community Engagement Policy
- Social Mobility Policy, and
- Whistleblowing Policy.