5 Stone Buildings is committed to working in a socially responsible manner

As a chambers we have a very strong reputation for the work which we do in chambers’ core practice areas; for many years we have retained our Band 1 ranking for Chancery: Traditional work and Court of Protection (Property & Affairs) in the Chambers & Partners UK Bar Guide, and our members are ranked in the legal directories in many other areas of work. However, we recognise that as legal professionals we have an obligation not only to provide our services effectively, but also to provide them in an ethical and responsible manner, and to contribute where possible to important objectives like increasing diversity in the legal profession and facilitating access to justice for those who are unable to afford the cost of legal services.

Within chambers we have established a Chambers Social Responsibility Committee whose responsibility it is to drive this agenda forward. In 2019, chambers entered into a partnership with the Heart of the City Programme in order to conduct an audit of the work we were already doing in this area and where our business practices could be improved. Our work in this area centres on the following:

• Community and pro bono work;
• Reducing our environmental impact;
• Promoting the wellbeing of our members and staff and others across the legal profession;
• Promoting diversity and inclusion.

Below you can find further details about each of these topics.

In addition to our work within chambers, members also work on issues of Chambers Social Responsibility at bar association level. Amanda Hardy KC is the Chair of the Chancery Bar Association’s Wellbeing and Chambers Social Responsibility Sub-Committee; William East and Eliza Eagling are also members of that sub-committee.