In Patagonia change doesn't have to be glacial
Over a week in October, Lex Mundi took a delegation of its members firms to trek across glacial Patagonia. No, not a top-of-the-range team building event. This was an all-together more serious and, some might say, worthwhile endeavour.
For seven days in October, Lex Mundi took a delegation consisting of our member firms and in-house counsel to trek across icy Patagonia in support of Hope for Justice / Slave-Free Alliance.
The inspiration and planning are nothing we at Lex Mundi can take credit for; it belongs solely to Hope for Justice, which organizes an annual climb to raise awareness about the alarming persistence of slavery in our world today - both in rich countries and poor ones.
A modern 'underground railroad'
Hope for Justice isn't just a talking shop. On the contrary, for many years they have been on-the-ground rescuing individuals from modern slavery and helping them to rehabilitate. They also run very effective, grassroots programs globally to prevent exploitation of at-risk individuals. And they advise large companies on ways to root out labor exploitation from their value chains.
According to Hope for Justice and Slave-Free Alliance some 45 million souls suffer in bondage as forced labor including trafficking victims, roughly one third of which are part of a corporate supply chain that produces many of our smart phones, EV batteries, solar panels, manufactured items, clothing, food, household products and more.
During the tragic history of slavery in the United States, private citizens and freed slaves risked their lives to rescue others, forming what came to be known as an “underground railroad” of safe houses and checkpoints to guide people to freedom. I like to think of Hope for Justice as filling a similar void in our world today.
A little bit of skin-in-the-game
The initiative at Lex Mundi to gather a delegation for the Patagonia climb originated with our annual review of global business trends that shape the needs of clients in the financial and corporate sectors. Having hit upon the way in which corporate governance is rapidly evolving to accommodate changing societal demands, we found ourselves identifying the mulitplicity of challenges that emanate from the ESG (environmental, social and governance) agenda. (You can access our Report on this subject here.)
Doubtless every large enterprise is struggling to accommodate the manifold business performance criteria that make up the ESG acronym - all of which come on top of basic financial performance. Professional services firms are no exception as they follow their big business clients in wanting to demonstrate positive impact.
“In a world where social impact is both a business imperative and integral to each firm's DNA, marketing and business development professionals have a role to spot unique opportunities.”
When we heard about the plans for Patagonia, it had obvious merit as a way to put our own 'skin in the game.' We sit on a deep network consisting of very strong relationships across 125 countries, we orchestrate the members across a host of initiatives and legal matters, and we know that clients are wrestling with new laws and regulations covering supply chain compliance. Moreover, we were compelled to try to make a difference on this issue, so that visibility of it comes to more boardrooms and management teams as a priority that can be addressed on a practical level.
The first task was to consider among ourselves at senior management level whether we could take on the commitment to hold spaces on the Hope for Justice Patagonia trek, given our existing strategic priorities and limited capacity. Second, we also had to check whether we could subsidize some of the trek. Third, we needed a plan of action to recruit the individuals, who would take the time from work and personal obligations for a full 10-days, including in- and outbound travel.
Finally, we had to think about whether we could meet fundraising targets to support the Hope for Justice mission. Having obtained the commitment across the team and the blessing of our Executive Committee, we set out to recruit.
The crucial point from a marketing or business development perspective, was to be able to formulate and make a business case, bring colleagues on board, devote many hours to recruit participants, and, not least, fundraise. Taking ownership has presupposed a deep belief in the cause that has fuelled the persistence to make it work. The other critical factor has been a supportive Executive Committee and CEO to give us the latitude to pursue the initiative with our time and some resources.
In keeping with the Lex Mundi non-exclusive model, we have been fortunate to have fundraising contributions so far from member firm partners, lawyers at non-member firms, in-house counsel and others including from our personal network and Lex Mundi staff.
The delegation consists of five dedicated individuals from across the Lex Mundi global network from law firms Basham, Ringe & Correa (Mexico), Noerr (Germany), the company First Solar (USA), and Lex Mundi (USA and Spain). We were joined by colleagues from Hope for Justice. In addition to the member firms mentioned above, we have enjoyed support from other member firms who have helped us to make it happen.
Perhaps in years past, when ESG had not yet pervaded corporate agendas, management support would not have been obtained as easily. But in a world where social impact is both a business imperative and integral to each firm's DNA, marketing and business development professionals have a role to spot unique opportunities, drive the agenda for gaining support across the organisation, and seeing through implementation.
At Lex Mundi we are grateful to Hope for Justice, the work they do and the chance to put a bit of our skin in the game.