For this month’s CSR Profile, we’re shining the spotlight on Macfarlanes LLP, as told by Nayeem Miah, Inclusion and CSR Intern.

Please provide a short outline of your current role and a brief description of any other relevant career experience:
I’m an intern in the Inclusion and CSR team at London-based law firm Macfarlanes. I gained my placement through ELBA’s Eagles programme. My role is broad and highly interactive and activities vary each week depending on what events and projects we’re running. Over the festive period I supported the firm’s fundraising for their charity of the year, which included securing gifts for the annual prize draw and festive bake-off competition. In terms of the diversity and inclusion aspect of my role, I spend a lot of my time supporting the staff networks, scheduling Steering Committee meetings, drafting communications and sending out invitations. In January, I also helped to organise a Lunar New Year Lunch – Lunar New Year 2023 celebrates the year of the Rabbit, which symbolises longevity, peace and prosperity.

Why is CSR important to your organisation?
Corporate social responsibility is important to Macfarlanes. The firm is committed to supporting disadvantaged communities by providing practical help and financial support. The firm does this in many ways, one example is their Refugee Law Clinic. We support the clinic – in partnership with the University of London and Clifford Chance – which works to help refugees seeking asylum within the UK. We currently have over 30 solicitors from across the firm, volunteering their time and using their legal skills to help those who would not otherwise have access to legal support and services. Another example is the firm’s charity of the year partnership. Each year the firm’s employees vote to select a new charity and, as part of the partnership, the firm provides a range of services to the selected charity through fundraising, pro-bono advice, volunteering opportunities and more.

Which topics, themes or initiatives is your organisation currently focused on?
Macfarlanes currently focuses on several aspects of inclusion and CSR. The area closest to my heart is their focus on social mobility and making the legal profession more accessible for those coming from a socially mobile background. The teams collaborate well and work closely with HR and the Early Legal Careers team to help achieve this. The firm recently introduced a scholarship programme and offer several bursaries to help make a legal career more accessible. Macfarlane’s involvement with ELBA’s Eagles programme is another example of how the firm is supporting social mobility – this initiative aims to give recent graduates coming from under-privileged backgrounds the chance to gain an insight into what CSR looks like within a corporate setting. The programme aims to also develop young individuals with the skills and experience needed to help them start out their career.

What is the best part of your job?
For me, the best part of my role/Eagles programme has been the breadth of exposure provided by my internship. I have interacted with a range of stakeholders inside and outside of Macfarlanes, whether it be senior lawyers and partners or the firm’s charity partners. Another aspect of the role which I have enjoyed is seeing how events are planned and how they unfold. For example, in October we ran a Diwali Lunch. It was one of my first projects at the firm and I had the chance to organise and coordinate the lunch, while networking with employees from across the business. This allowed me to raise my profile and network with partners and other senior colleagues. From there, I began booking in coffee chats to learn more about their career journey and experiences. It has been a fantastic learning experience.