About The Firm

Corporate Social Responsibility

Locke Lord demonstrates its commitment to the communities in which we work and live through our considerable investment of time and resources in making sure our business initiatives are part of creating a better world around us.

Our attorneys and staff have given back to the communities we serve for more than a century through charitable contributions and pro bono commitments, and more recently in environmental stewardship. Our Firm has a prevailing spirit of generosity that manifests itself through civic and community leadership, volunteerism and financial support. Our attorneys and staff serve on the boards of numerous education, health and welfare, arts, children's charitable and faith-based organizations in the United States and United Kingdom. We are proud of all the associations we have and the commitments we make to better the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.

Our Pro Bono Committee works tirelessly to address the legal needs of the poor - we believe everyone has the right to the best representation possible no matter how deep his or her pockets. We proactively involve attorneys in all of our offices, and they log an annual average of 15,000 hours of pro bono assistance to our clients, and in connection with numerous free legal clinics in the areas in which we work. More than 40 attorneys have volunteered with Texas Appleseed, a charity dedicated to promoting social and economic justice by leveraging the skills and resources of volunteer lawyers and other professionals to identify practical solutions to difficult systemic problems. And our London lawyers provide pro bono legal support to and host meetings on behalf of the Prepaid International Forum, a not-for-profit association that lobbies regulators in Europe and India on behalf of its members.

Some of the legal results for our pro bono clients we have achieved include the following:

In New York, our lawyers’ pro bono efforts helped get proper recognition on the World Trade Center memorial for a retired firefighter who died while rescuing people in the 911 tragedy.
Our Los Angeles attorneys worked for two years to gain freedom for three women in a case of human trafficking.
Through our Chicago office, we represent clients from around the world seeking political asylum, including from Darfur, the Central African Republic, Chad, Guatemala, Mali, Sierra Leone, Tibet and Zimbabwe.

At Locke Lord, diversity and inclusion are integral parts of our strategic plan for success. In order to have a healthy, successful workplace, our attorneys and staff must be allowed to be themselves. To that end, the environment must not only be free of all forms of discrimination, but also celebrate the broadest possible spectrum of viewpoints, perspectives and backgrounds.

We promote individuality and discussion of diversity, and support organizations that share our commitment to diversity with our time and our funds. Our diversity is broad-based and stems from varying ethnicities, races, genders, sexual orientations, languages, nationalities and religions. All of these factors aid us as we strive for an atmosphere and culture where attorneys can thrive as legal practitioners and genuinely enjoy the company of their colleagues.

At Locke Lord, we are all too aware that the number of diverse students entering and remaining in the legal profession is insufficient. To that end, we are involved in a number of initiatives designed to support diverse students interested in pursuing a legal career, like endowing scholarships, mentoring students and providing them with real world experience in a law firm.

Throughout the years, our charitable work has helped raise millions of dollars for hundreds of charities in the US and UK. Our leadership positions with many of these charities help oversee the funding of everything from holiday gifts for needy children to disaster aid during tragic events like Hurricane Katrina.

In particular, Locke Lord is committed to helping children. We believe that youth of today, regardless of their ethnic background or socioeconomic status, need to be equipped with the educational tools necessary to succeed. From homework tutoring to providing the disadvantaged with some of their most basic needs, we pursue ways to make a difference in the lives of children.

We also look to establish cross-office initiatives focused on enhancing the environment in the regions in which we work. We have virtualized all of our servers to reduce power consumption for air conditioning and room footprint size. Locke Lord also actively pursues buildings with Green initiatives when opening new locations or moving existing offices. Our London office was refurbished to create a space with 35 percent better carbon efficiency than current standards. Our Chicago office is located in the world's first LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Core & Shell gold certified building.

Some additional examples of Locke Lord’s corporate social responsibility are:

Locke Lord attorneys and staff donated nearly $30,000 to the people affected by the 2010 Pakistan floods. The money was distributed to many national and international charities to assist those affected.
Locke Lord was awarded the Corporate Achievement DiversityFIRST Award from the Texas Diversity Council in June 2010, the only law firm to receive such honor.
The firm was selected in 2011 as one of the “Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity” by MultiCultural Law Magazine.
Our London office generously supports local charities such as United Jewish Israel Appeal, Jewish Women's Aid, and the Anne Frank Trust UK.
Our Austin office partners with Sanchez Elementary School to fulfil holiday wish lists and provide educational support through materials and books.
Our Chicago office supports the Corporate Internship Program at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School by providing them with hands-on experience in the working world and preparing them to assume leadership roles in our community.
Our Dallas office partners with Esperanza “Hope” Medrano Elementary School to provide mentoring, tutoring, supply drives and a holiday party at our office.
The Dallas Office was honored for its outstanding United Way fundraising campaign for 2011-2012 and received the organization’s “Live United” award in the law firm category.
Our Houston office adopts the first grade class at Hilliard Elementary School each year by helping to fill out the student’s wish lists and hosting a holiday party for them.
A London office partner is co-trustee of a charitable Foundation with projects including the building of schools in India; purchase of threatened rain forest; and grants to children in Ghana.
A London office partner is a committee member of a large charity providing aid and support for the British Legion.
A London office partner is a trustee of “Friends of Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital” for the care and treatment of sick children.
Our London office each year collects and distributes Christmas gifts for underprivileged children.
Our Los Angeles office supports the Verbum Dei High School’s Corporate Work Study Program by providing tuition support to students and giving them real life working experience in our offices.
Our New York office fulfils wish lists and donates holiday gifts to first, second and third graders at PS 131 School in Brooklyn.
Our Washington, D.C. office donates to a school supply drive to benefit needy students at Hendley Elementary School.