Law firm sets the bar high with B Corp certification

A full-service law firm headquartered in St Albans has become the first Hertfordshire-based law firm to achieve B Corp certification.

SA Law, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, is now among a small group of UK law firms to be recognised for meeting the rigorous standards required for B Corp status, which honours companies for their ethical, social and environmental practices. While there are over 2,500 certified B Corporations in the UK, only a select few are law firms.

Steve Ryan, Co-founder and Joint Managing Partner, said: “Very few law firms in the UK have B Corp certification, but at SA Law, we felt that a focus on the continual improvement of ethical and sustainable practices in business was non-negotiable.

“As a firm, we pride ourselves on our multidisciplinary, holistic approach to clients’ legal issues. We see the consideration of ethical and sustainable standards as part of this.”

Certified B Corporations (or B Corps) are companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, clients, suppliers, community and the environment.

B Lab, the global non-profit organisation behind the B Corp movement, assesses companies’ eligibility and pushes organisations to drive more inclusive, equitable and regenerative practices.

Since its founding in 2005, SA Law has introduced a range of initiatives to enhance its environmental and social performance, from reducing carbon emissions to prioritising employee wellbeing.

Tracy Lacey-Smith, Joint Managing Partner, said: “As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, this really is the beginning of a new era for the firm. We are looking forward to building on the sustainable business initiatives which have earned us this recognition and we are excited to collaborate with the B Corp community.”

To achieve certification, SA Law underwent B Lab’s comprehensive verification process, which assessed the firm across five key impact areas: governance, workers, community, environment and customers.

Certification requires companies to achieve a minimum score of 80 on the

B Impact Assessment and pass B Lab’s risk review.

Kelly Pike, Head of Human Resources, said: “The passion to become a B Corp has been felt across the firm, with our team taking great strides to explore new ways to improve our impact. We are thankful for everyone’s creativity, commitment and dedication to achieving certification.

“We would encourage our peers across the legal industry to consider embarking on the certification process, as the legal sector has an important role to play in creating a more equitable and environmentally conscious world.”