Kennedys unveils new responsible business report

We are a law firm that aims to make a difference - to our clients, our people and the communities in which we live and work. Our Responsible Business approach is led by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure we are working towards a sustainable future. Our ambitious strategy is underpinned by our double materiality assessment which defined issues most material to our business and stakeholders.

We are proud to launch our 2024-25 Responsible Business Report. The report sets out our goals and targets, and how we’re making progress towards them. We are pleased to have been recognised as a top-20 firm for our responsible business activity by Lamp House Strategy’s 2025 benchmarking. Lamp House Strategy is an insights specialist for the legal sector, evaluating 150 UK and US firms and their responsible business activities annually.

Actions we are taking include:

• Progressing towards our goal of a 40% female partnership globally by 2030. Whilst global female partnership has remained at 36%, we have increased the proportion of laterally hired female partners from 25% to 47% compared to 2021. We have also achieved 44% female partnership in APAC and 38% in the UK.
• Ensuring strategic, impactful progress towards our net zero target. In 2022, we approved near-term targets. Last year, we set net-zero goals with SBTi. This year, we’ve appointed a head of sustainable procurement and engaged our suppliers to build strong foundations for our decarbonisation journey.
• Collaborating with clients. Our clients care as much as we do, so we joined forces and worked together on activities and agendas that positively affected the environment, social cohesion and DE&I.
• Paying 99% of our employees a living wage, and assessing and supporting those who fall below this threshold.*

Global highlights for our 2024-25 reporting year include:

• Establishing the Responsible Business Leadership Group: As sub-committee of the EG, the group provides high-level governance of our operational Responsible Business strategy and goals. It comprises partners from all five of the firm’s regions and includes representatives from the Governance Group, C-Suite, and ESG Product Group.
• Developing a global pro bono programme: We supported nearly 40 organisations, charities and social enterprises during the first year of our new global pro bono programme. With an updated policy and stronger strategic partnerships, the firm is a committed active corporate citizen and ensures our people undertake impactful pro bono work.
• Creating a new wellbeing strategy: Our refreshed global wellbeing strategy takes a holistic approach to help our people feel well and work well. We aim to foster sustainable high performance and create an environment where everyone can be their authentic selves, promoting greater psychological safety. Learn more about Responsible Business at Kennedys here.