Corporate Social Responsibility

Our values known as the ‘SPIRIT’ of Paris Smith (service; professionalism; integrity; respect; innovation and trust) are the foundations of our relationships and the way we do business.

Our Commitment

Paris Smith is proud of the region in which we live and work. Through collaboration with key stakeholders in the public, private and voluntary sectors, we shall continue to play our part to create a legacy for the region so that our communities continue to thrive for future generations.

We actively participate in:

Charitable giving

Each year we have a charity of the year, selected by the staff and partners, for which it raises funds through a variety of activities and events.

Our Charity for 2024/2025 is Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

Supporting our community

Our staff are involved in all kinds of community ventures – from acting as charity trustees and school governors through of holding non-executive roles with local enterprise partnerships.

As a firm, we are involved with several community projects. We also have our own Charity Forum which is a free platform for charities to share best practice and experiences.

Supporting local business & economic prosperity

We work with a number of regional business groups to help promote and create opportunities for local businesses and the people who run them by helping protect trade and drive forward economic prosperity in the regions in which we operate.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

Every day specially trained doctors, dispatchers, pilots and paramedics from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance are ready to respond to the most seriously ill and injured patients in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, giving them the best chance of survival and recovery when the worst happens.

As a charity Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance receives no government or NHS funding and relies entirely on the generosity of the public to keep its service operational, day and night, 365 days a year.

Each mission the team attends costs on average £3,500. Whether it’s making sure there is enough fuel in the tank, supplies of emergency medication on board or state-of-the-art life-saving equipment available, your support is changing and saving lives every day.

Southampton Forward

We are delighted to be a Founding Partner of Southampton Forward.

Southampton Forward emerged from the 2025 UK City of Culture Bid led by the Southampton Culture Trust. It’s aim is to put culture at the heart of the city’s growth, sharing the stories of the city’s diverse communities and thereby putting Southampton on the map.

Paris Smith Charity Forum

The Paris Smith Charity Forum is a free platform where Chief Executives and Trustees can share their challenges with peers and professionals. Members can enjoy free training/webinars on topics chosen by our members; attend a bi-annual conference and have access to our “Connect” facility. A member can raise an issue with knowledgeable and supportive people, all of whom have first-hand knowledge of the third sector.

If you are a charity or not-for-profit organisation and would like to join the Paris Smith Charity Forum you can register via our Charity Forum page.

Community projects

Below are examples of the current projects we are involved in. We support our community through charitable activity, sponsorship’s and pro bono work.

Patrons of the Saints Foundation

MAST Mayflower Studios

Winchester Chamber Music Festival

Winchester Rugby Club

Official Legal Partners to Southampton Football Club

The Knight’s Foundation – Teddy Bear Appeal

The Handlebar Cafe

Mayflower Theatre

Winchester Poetry Festival

Totton Rugby Club

Hampshire FA

Hampshire Cultural Trust

Play to the Crowd – Theatre Royal Winchester

Winchester Cathedral

Vineyards of Hampshire

Sholing Football Club

Supporting Local Business

Hampshire Chamber of Commerce

Southampton Chamber of Commerce

Dorset Chamber of Commerce

Winchester BID

Hampshire Business Show 2022

Solent University Business Advisory Board

Winchester Business Excellence Awards

Wine GB

Our People

Our people are renowned for the responsiveness, reliability and honesty. These are the characteristics which provide the foundation of which we are most proud: the strength and depth of our client partnerships.

Our people are at the heart of all we do and Paris Smith takes pride in supporting all staff in order that they may become the best versions of themselves. In 2022 we launched the Paris Smith Academy which provides relevant, expert and inspiring management and leadership learning and development support led by very experienced coaching professionals. There are a range of programmes and qualifications for partners and staff across the whole firm from senior leaders and lawyers to business support and administration teams.

Paris Smith recognises how important having a work-life balance is. We have a staff led social committee whose role is to organise various staff events throughout the year, in addition to the seasonal events such as summer and Christmas parties which form part of the social calendar. These events include quizzes, summer BBQs, bowling, private cinema trips and escape rooms. There are also sports teams which you can get involved in should you wish.

We are committed to supporting staff wellbeing. We have appointed mental health first aiders across teams and other services are available such as external wellbeing support. There are also events and initiatives for staff throughout the year such as a wellbeing week and various workshops.

Reducing our environmental impact

We are committed to minimising our impact on the local, national and global environment.

We encourage collaboration and working in partnership with other businesses which share our values and sustainability commitments. We are developing a path of achieving net zero carbon by:

raising environmental awareness when making business decisions;
using energy and water in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner;
transferred all of the firm’s electricity contracts into renewable carbon free electricity supplies;
using environmentally sound and sustainable resources across our supply chain;
recycling to minimize the quantity of waste material;
eradicating single use plastics from our business;
using an all electric van;
engaging with our people to participate in initiatives and to act responsibly at work and at home; and
providing our employees with a safe, hygienic and comfortable working environment.

We have an Environmental Committee that is responsible for developing objectives and pursuing actions to reduce the firm’s impact on the environment. Its achievements include:

Carbon Reduction – We measure our progress via the Law Society’s own LSA carbon measurement tool and our footprint for 2021 was 1.33 tCO2e per staff member, (down from 1.5 in 2017 and 2.17 in 2016), This is providing us with a measure to benchmark our success with ongoing carbon reduction strategies. Our main Southampton office uses geothermal heated water, a substitute for gas, supplied by the Southampton District Energy Scheme (SDES) operated by ENGIE.
Awards – In the past, we have been recognised by the Sustainable Business Partnership with a Sustainable Business Award. The commendation on the award reads “In recognition of excellence in the field of economic, social and environmental sustainability as a part of the firm’s business model, and for being an inspiration to other businesses in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight“.
Accreditations – We have signed up to the principles of the Legal Sustainability Alliance, a Law Society group of leading law firms taking positive action on climate change by measuring, reducing and reporting on their carbon footprint. We are also looking at obtaining ISO 14001 this year.

Modern Slavery Statement

Modern Slavery Act 2015 – Transparency in Supply Chains

As Paris Smith LLP (Paris Smith) does not currently have a turnover in excess of £36m, it is not required to provide a statement under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

However, we have relationships through the provision of legal services to larger companies that are required to comply and therefore we believe it is only right that we make a statement as to our position and policy to deal with any enquiries raised in respect of this Act.

Slavery and human trafficking remains a hidden blight on our global society and the partners and staff at Paris Smith agree that we and the rest of the business community have a responsibility to be alert to the associated risks.

As part of our community and social Responsibility policy, we are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chain or in any part of our business. We are also committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and dealings.

We have ranked the risk of being impacted by modern slavery or trafficking as low and this is very much due to the nature of our business as a provider of legal services to businesses and private individuals and our current supply chain being limited to local suppliers of equipment and services.

All businesses that regularly provide us with goods and services are required to sign up to comply with our sustainable procurement policy which has, at its heart, the requirement to trade ethically and fairly and to have a high regard for the reduction of their impact on the environment. We also aim to build long term relationships with our suppliers and this helps to foster a better trust and a higher level of expectation as regards to business behaviour.

Regarding international supply chains, given that we are very much a UK based firm, we do not have any material dealings that require the supply of services from abroad.

The Firm’s HR Department has to follow strict policies regarding the employment of staff, ensuring that all persons have the appropriate permits to work in the UK, that their identification has been verified and all our staff have employment contracts that are fully compliant with UK employment law. We also have a policy of paying wages that are above the living wage.

Introducing your key contact

Christie Blackburn
Head of Compliance – Compliance and Risk Training

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