Community

We work with disadvantaged individuals and for NGOs, to promote access to justice and protect human rights. This includes partnering with Community Legal Centres and Aboriginal Legal Services across the country, to assist people facing homelessness, as well as refugees and asylum seekers. We also fund the only ongoing graduate position in the community legal sector in Victoria.

Making a difference

• We contributed more than 35,000 hours of pro bono legal work in 2022, with almost half of this time spent on human rights-related matters.
• 1 in 5 Allens lawyers worked on an asylum seeker-related matter in 2022.
• Pro bono legal assistance was provided to 128 people facing homelessness in 2022.
• Our target is at least 50 hours of pro bono legal work per lawyer each year.

We strive for leadership on environmental sustainability in our sector. We're committed to taking climate action to reduce the material impacts of our operations and to identifying opportunities to drive positive environmental change, as outlined in our Environmental Policy.

We have set a target to reduce our absolute scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by FY2030 from a FY2019 base year. Our near-term science-based emissions reduction target has been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and is in line with what the latest climate science says is needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

As we work towards our emissions reduction target, we aim to continue our certification for our Australian offices through the Australian Government's Climate Active Program. We first achieved certification in December 2014, and we seek recertification annually. For more information about our certification and the emissions sources included in our greenhouse gas emissions inventory please take a look at our most recent Climate Active Public Disclosure Statement.

We also maintain an environmental management system in our Australian offices, designed to help us take a systematic approach to identifying and mitigating our material environmental impacts.

Making a difference

• We take action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in line with an ambitious and independently assessed science-based target.
• We source 100% GreenPower accredited energy for our tenancy electricity in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
• We seek carbon neutral certification for our Australian offices by taking action to reduce our emissions, and sourcing  high-quality, accredited carbon offsets from projects, such as renewable energy, savannah fire management and forestry conservation projects that reduce or remove emissions from the atmosphere.

We have a responsible sourcing program designed to promote procurement practices that are ethical, and environmentally and socially responsible. As a purchaser of products and services, we also look for opportunities within our supply chain to support positive social and environmental outcomes through our procurement spend.

Through our responsible sourcing policy and process, we seek to take action to identify, assess and mitigate risks of modern slavery practices in our supply chain. Our Supplier Code of Conduct sets out the minimum standards we expect of our suppliers in relation to ethical business practices, human rights and labour practices, and environmental management.

Making a difference

• We seek opportunities to engage social and Indigenous enterprises in our supply chain, and to make a positive impact through our procurement spend. Allens is a founding partner of Supply Nation, and as part of our First Nations Engagement Plan, we contribute to the growth of the Indigenous business sector through procurement and pro bono support.