Our Responsible Business framework has six divisions:
Download
833KB, 10 Pages
Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing
Our business is built on diversity and the lived and living experiences of our people
We strive to create an environment where our people feel safe to be their authentic selves and inspire our people to understand, explore and appreciate the critical role wellbeing plays in a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Having a diverse workforce is only one part of the equation. Inclusion is critical. Inclusion and inclusive leadership empower our people to feel valued, respected, and safe and unlock the value of their diverse perspectives and skills.
Download
6.73MB, 8 Pages
Ethics, Risk & Integrity
We minimise risk to maximise opportunities
Risk management is often considered synonymous with obligations, box-ticking, loss and the downside, rather than the upside, of reward. At KWM, we approach risk through the lens of opportunity.
All businesses must confront and overcome risks on their pathways to success. For 200 years, KWM have been committed to helping our people and our clients manage these risks to enable their growth. Throughout this time, we’ve always acknowledged that a culture of ethics and integrity is key to successful risk management.
Community & Social Impact
We stand together with our communities to create lasting solutions
We understand that creating sustained generational change starts with our local communities. It is only by bringing our collective voices together, listening to and learning from community, that we can have open conversations about the issues that matter.
We believe how we work is as important as the work itself, so we’re committed to social impact through deep, genuine, long-term, and trusted partnerships with community-led organisations, emerging leaders, and respected advocates.
Developing stronger partnerships with community enables us to focus more holistically on the outcomes, needs, opportunities, and challenges as defined by communities. We recognise as a firm that we're on a journey of continuous learning and that we don't always know what is best, so we listen to the voices of community to guide us to the answers.
Our five-year social impact strategy, Standing Strong & Tall Together, focuses on strengthening communities, creating generational change, and elevating young people so that they stand strong and tall.
Our work closely aligns with the Uluru Statement from the Heart, the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and other significant frameworks. Through our trusted partnerships, we seek to strengthen communities via strategic legal, justice, and advisory projects, holistic pathways programs, and targeted philanthropy and grants.
Key contacts: Dusan Stevic, Senior Associate & Pro Bono Manager & Clementine Johnson, Head of Social Impact & Shared Value.
First Nations Peoples & Communities
Communities know best and lead us
For too long, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been excluded from Australian legal systems. This exclusion has contributed to the harm that legal systems have caused and is a factor in the underrepresentation of First Nations people across the legal profession.
We seek to be a respectful facilitator, acknowledging that trust isn’t transferable and must be earned.
To do this, we look to build and sustain long-term relationships with community that are deeply embedded with respect, mutual trust, and safety. Only through these relationships are we able to enter community spaces acknowledging the innate and pervasive power imbalance that exists within our society, and the over 60,000 years of deep expertise of First Nations Peoples.
Communities know best and lead us. So, our approach is intentionally focused on co-designing solutions with First Nations Peoples by listening to, and learning from, them. They are the architects of tomorrow’s solutions.
Our focus on deep listening, from a place of privilege, has resulted in integrating governance structures such as our First Nations Leaders Circle within our firm so that we can continually listen to their voices, lived experiences, and learn from them.
Key contact: Donnella Mills, First Nations Lead
Climate Change and Environment
A sustainable future for all relies on the impact we make today
Our environment is rapidly changing, and we must change.
Climate change is the single greatest existential threat of our time, affecting all aspects of human life and economic activity. It has a measurable impact on our food systems, physical assets, infrastructure, and way of life.
Responding to the issues surrounding climate change presents our firm with a unique opportunity to play a meaningful role as a leader, advisor, and community partner for our people, our clients, and our future.
Our strategy has three pillars:
Reduce
Reduce our emissions and improve our sustainability
Learn
Learn deeply on the topic of climate change (using science as our base) and engage openly
Lead
Demonstrate leadership on climate matters and support our clients and community partners
Key contact: Dan Creasey, Director of Responsible Business
Responsible Procurement
We are committed to creating shared value
How we operate and who we partner with reflects who we are, what we stand for, and where we aspire to be.
Our supply chains are complex, and the global nature of trade means we are at an increased risk of exposure to modern slavery.
We publish our annual Modern Slavery Statement, in accordance with the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2018, outlining the steps we've taken to eliminate modern slavery. We also work with our clients so they can understand the potential risks of modern slavery within their own operations.
Strong partnerships are central to our commitment to creating shared value.
For our firm, shared value means creating new opportunities and positive impacts for more people.
By partnering with organisations that share our goals as outlined in our policies and procedures, we can work together to deliver and achieve sustainable outcomes.
Our Supplier Code of Conduct sets out what we expect from our suppliers regarding responsible procurement, ethical behaviour, sustainability, diversity and inclusion, confidentiality, and privacy matters. In turn, we expect our suppliers to have their own internal policies and procedures that align with and support our Supplier Code of Conduct.
Key contact: Simon Perry, Procurement Manager
We strive to create an environment where our people feel safe to be their authentic selves and inspire our people to understand, explore and appreciate the critical role wellbeing plays in a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Having a diverse workforce is only one part of the equation. Inclusion is critical. Inclusion and inclusive leadership empower our people to feel valued, respected, and safe and unlock the value of their diverse perspectives and skills.
We have a range of local programs and initiatives to support our diversity priorities. Visit our country pages to find out more about what we offer in specific regions.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
