Our Story

• Integrity. We build lasting relationships based on trust. People know that they can be confident in our probity and confidentiality.
• Excellence. We continually strive to give the best service to our clients. We are responsive, commercial and decisive, and we do not act where we cannot provide an excellent service.
• Partnership. We believe in partnership and teamwork, both with our clients and our people.

Farrer & Co is committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in relation to its members, clients and the community. We believe that every person in the firm has a responsibility to ensure inclusion and dignity at work.

We recognise the importance of creating an inclusive environment in which people can progress and fulfil their potential.  We are committed to ensuring that all our people are employed, trained, compensated and promoted solely on the strength of their ability, qualifications, experience and merit.

We value the wellbeing of our people and pride ourselves on being a supportive employer, taking reasonable and practical steps to help them to balance their careers with other aspects of their lives. We think this is reflected in the fact that we have an exceptionally low staff turnover.

Diversity and inclusion enriches the culture of the firm and means that we are better positioned to continue to provide a first-class service to our clients.

Internal Diversity & Inclusion networks

D&I Champions

Our Diversity & Inclusion Partner and our Senior Diversity & Inclusion Manager work with our D&I Champions (made up of members from across the firm from each team and department) to share ideas and work on projects and initiatives to improve the diversity of the talent we attract and retain, and to support an inclusive environment.

Flexible working

We recognise the benefits flexible working can provide to our people, our clients and our business. We work to ensure that flexible and smart working is an integral part of our culture.

Working Parents Network

We have an active Working Parents network which meets regularly to share experiences and ideas.

LeGalBesT

We are founding members of this network of mid-size law firms focused on support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees. This inclusive group is open to anyone at the firm, both LGBT and allies.

Agender

Agender is the firm’s women’s network which works to support an inclusive working environment, improve workplace culture, be a representative voice on gender equality issues and encourage participation from male allies.

Lunch and Learn programme

We have a varied programme of lunch time sessions focusing on topics which affect our members' lives, including parenting and wellbeing.

External partners and memberships

Aspiring Solicitors

Aspiring Solicitors works to increase diversity in the legal profession across all underrepresented groups. The partnership is a part of the firm's ongoing commitment to increase diversity amongst solicitors at the firm.

Law Society Diversity & Inclusion Charter

Participation in the annual charter report helps us to identify areas for improvement as well as providing an opportunity to share, and learn from, examples of best practice with other firms.

PRIME

We are a member of PRIME, an alliance of law firms committed to improving access to the legal profession through work experience.

IntoUniversity

Each year, we run a work experience programme for a group of Year 13 IntoUniversity students. The scheme provides underrepresented pupils with an insight into the legal profession and working life.

The RARE contextual recruitment system

We use the RARE contextual recruitment system. This is a ground-breaking, data-driven graduate recruitment system to help improve social mobility. It is believed to be the first tech-based tool that helps firms to calibrate and measure the social mobility characteristics of individuals and graduate intakes.

Change100 Programme

We are an employer partner of the Change100 Programme with Leonard Cheshire, a charity supporting disabled people to fulfil their potential. Change100 is an award-winning programme of paid summer work placements and mentoring for disabled students and recent graduates.

Cityparents

The firm has corporate membership of Cityparents, which is a group of over 10,000 members in London representing legal, banking/finance, management consultancy, human resources and accountancy organisations.

For Diversity & Gender Reporting please click here.

"For us, corporate responsibility is a true reflection of our personal values and appreciation of our place within society."

Our ethos

We take seriously our responsibilities for our staff, our local environment and the communities in which we live and work. Active corporate responsibility is integral to the welfare and ethos of the firm, making it the kind of place we all wish to work for and represent. To achieve this we encourage charitable and pro bono activity by:

• encouraging pro bono work, including our support of the Impact Investing Institute and our partnership with the Mary Ward free legal advice centre
• supporting volunteering through events and challenges, encouraging staff to use their annual volunteering day and by regular firm donations through the firm's charitable trust to charities
• hosting and participating in charitable activities, from bake sales to hosting an evening on behalf of JUSTICE on the challenges to the legal system in the 21^st century
• actively taking steps to reduce our environmental footprint - we were one of the first firms to be ESOS compliant, and
• being a signatory to The Law Society's Pro Bono Charter.

Reflecting our culture and business, most of our external corporate responsibility projects are created and maintained through personal initiatives and relationships. From trainee solicitors all the way up to the senior partner, every member of staff is encouraged to get involved in projects that have a positive impact for the benefit of charities in our local community and in their own.

Our local community

"It really is hugely encouraging for the team to know that you have chosen to continue to support us over such a long period of time and that enthusiasm amongst your colleagues continues to grow. The gifts that you bring are not only the presents themselves, but thought and care they demonstrate shows our clients that they are held in mind as people deserving of your kindness."

Janet Martin, Project Manager, St Mungo's

We also support our people who are active in their own local communities. Some of our recent activities include:

• donations of gift boxes to St Mungo’s shelter for the homeless in Holborn at Christmas, Easter gifts to the patients of Barts at Easter and a harvest collection in Autumn for Food for All
• improving the literacy of children by reading with pupils at local schools since 2008 as a corporate sponsor of the reading scheme charity, Beanstalk
• volunteering at a number of local food banks, charity shops, older people's lunch clubs and employability centres
• fundraising by completing the London Legal Walk, marathons, Three Peaks Challenge and Race the Sun events, and
• providing support at free legal advice clinics and training others in our community to do the same.

For more information about corporate responsibility at Farrer & Co, please contact Elizabeth Jones or Katjana Cleasby or call +44 (0)20 3375 7000.

We are committed to looking at ways our business can improve its sustainability performance. In 2018 we partnered with Planet First, the custodian of the Planet Mark, a sustainability certification delivered in partnership with the Eden Project. We are proud to have achieved our Planet Mark certification for the fifth consecutive year, reflecting our ongoing commitment to reducing our carbon footprint.

The Planet Mark certification provides assurance of:

• Commitment to continuous improvement in environmental, social and economic performance.

• Measuring and reducing our carbon footprint on an annual basis.

• Engaging with our employees on environmental issues and with a global community rainforest project (Cool Earth) that aims to halt deforestation.

Our staff retention rate continues to be amongst the best in the legal sector - the consequence being a smaller alumni community than some other firms, but a solid and growing one nonetheless.

We take great pride that many of our staff remain with us for many years, and that those that move on choose to continue their relationship with us through our alumni initiative.

Our annual networking event and social gatherings aim to complement the activities of the firm and those of our alumni, and help maintain our relationships within the wider Farrers' community.

Any role you have held at Farrers is valued, and we would love to hear from you. Please call on 020 3375 7000 or email Henry Sainty or Paul Jones for more information. You can also join our LinkedIn group here.

The firm has invested in several established contemporary artists including Arthur Madderson and William Tillyer, along with emerging artists such as Philip Mount and Ptolemy Mann. Each of the artists display their own areas of skills and perspective, yet collectively exhibit a cohesive personality and focus, much like the people here at Farrers.

The art collection has been carefully chosen with the advice of expert Philip Herriott, Director of Art Search Limited, to reflect the culture and individualism of our brand. The unique selection of art mediums, ranging between drawings, paintings, patchwork and photography, all echo the ongoing creative ethos of Farrers and we are happy to feature it on our website.