THE LAW AT THE HEART OF OUR ACTION
the firm has implemented a number of measures that are now taking on their full meaning with the adoption of the status of a partnership with a mission. The firm is proud to be the first law firm with a mission.
Our firm’s CSR policy is divided into three areas: social, environmental and societal.
Continuous efforts are made to improve our performance and quality of work and a number of improvement actions have been launched.
But what is most important is that all the actors in the structure share this desire to constantly improve the working environment and skills, and are united around common values.
Because CSR only makes sense in a structure if it is shared and supported by everyone at their own level.
It is firmly within this collective perspective that the CSR policy is being developed in our firm.
IN CONCRETE TERMS, WHAT DOES CSR MEAN AT HLA ?
- ASSERTIVE SOCIAL PRACTICES: PROMOTING THE INTEGRATION OF EVERYONE AND THE QUALITY OF WORK FOR ALL
- NTEGRATING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES INTO OUR OPERATING METHODS
SOME ILLUSTRATIONS OF OUR GOOD SOCIAL PRACTICES
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
Huglo Lepage Avocats is an inter-generational firm: our firm includes both senior staff, up to over 50 years of age, and juniors. This age range is a strength from which we draw wealth and lessons every day.
Training is at the heart of our concerns:
- Our firm favours apprenticeships and work-study programmes and trains many trainees. Each year, we train between four and eight trainees, some of whom are now associate lawyers in our firm;
- Our administrative staff regularly attend training courses, as do the lawyers for whom this is an obligation.
- Our administrative staff regularly undergoes training, as do the lawyers for whom this is an obligation. We also support our administrative staff, who have job descriptions.
- Planned improvement action: introduce a welcome sheet for new employees.
DISABILITY AND INTEGRATION
Our office is fully accessible to disabled people (lift, adapted toilets, etc.) and is developing videoconferencing for people who are unable to move around, thus enabling us to have visual contact and to give a human dimension to our working relationships.
Planned improvement action: to set up a partnership with a social integration company for certain services.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Risk awareness: the very activity of our firm makes it possible to raise awareness of risks among all those who work there.
In addition, we ensure that everyone has a safe and healthy workplace. For example, our firm was able to adapt throughout the health crisis, providing equipment adapted to each person (gel, masks, etc.), adapting the cleaning procedures for the premises and encouraging teleworking.
Prevention of physical risks: our activity does not in itself present any physical risks. Naturally, the firm is equipped with the necessary fire prevention equipment and has the regulatory information sheets. We also have a first aid kit and some of our staff are trained in first aid
QUALITY OF LIFE AT WORK
Our firm ensures that everyone’s working conditions are satisfactory. We form a real team and regularly organise joint events, such as museum visits or team lunches, with all staff (lawyers, legal advisers, assistants and trainees).
With regard to the important balance between personal and professional life, our firm knows how important it is to be fulfilled in each area. We take care of this and our firm has many young parents with young children. We try, as far as possible, to allow teleworking at least 1 day a week (outside the COVID period) to help with time management.
Lawyers are independent professionals and organise their work as they see fit: our firm is committed to this independent status. Despite this, there is a real cohesion between the lawyers in the firm.
GOUVERNANCE
The parity between men and women is not guaranteed insofar as women are in the majority. Despite this, there is perfect parity between the partners (1 man and 1 woman), near parity between the lawyers (3 men and 5 women) and an absence of parity for the rest of the staff, who are women (1 documentalist and 3 assistants).
On the other hand, there is complete equality of pay (salaries or fees) between men and women.
With regard to internal working relations, dialogue is our strong point: it is permanent and decisions are taken collectively.
One of the great strengths of our firm is the emergence of a powerful, shared and coherent business plan.
SOME ILLUSTRATIONS OF OUR GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES
ENERGY
Our firm is heated and air-conditioned by electricity, with independent equipment for each office. We are economical in the level of heating and air conditioning and use green electricity since we are ENERCOOP subscribers.
We have a correct environmental performance diagnosis for a Haussmann building in Paris.
Planned improvement action: establish a carbon balance and implement improvement actions to improve this balance
WATER
The building collects rainwater but the office itself has no impact on water, except that the toilets are equipped with double flush toilets to save water.
WASTE
We manage paper sparingly to reduce the weight of waste, which is the main source of waste. We have a contract with a company that recovers paper waste.
We also collect used coffee capsules and have a used battery collector.
We do not use any plastic materials and do not have disposable tableware: we have glass bottles that everyone uses, cups and tableware.
RESPONSIBLE PURCHASING
In our practice, we like the idea that things can have a second life. As part of an eco-responsible purchasing policy, particularly with regard to computer equipment, our firm now uses second-hand, reconditioned equipment.
CARBON ASSESSMENT
Our carbon footprint is currently being assessed.
RISK MANAGEMENT
As Huglo Lepage Avocats is located in a Haussmann-style building in the heart of Paris, there are hardly any particular risks to manage, except for indoor and outdoor pollution.
As regards air pollution, the firm ensures that the premises are ventilated very regularly.
As for indoor pollution, our firm is very sensitive to it and the household products used are as green as possible.
Planned improvement action: replace as many household products as possible
INNOVATION
Huglo Lepage Avocats is extremely attentive to innovation and tries to promote innovations through its actions and the way it works.
The regular exchanges between the members of the firm make it possible for our structure to become an incubator for the emergence of innovative theories and strategies in the field of law.
MOBILITY
Concerned about its impact on the environment and greenhouse gas emissions, our firm uses a company that makes its deliveries by bicycle.
In addition, the company car owned by the firm is a hybrid vehicle.
On a day-to-day basis, travel for hearings is systematically by train, except for very long distances for which air travel is unavoidable.
As far as home/work trips are concerned, almost all of our employees come to the office on foot or by public transport.
Action for progress: draw up a mobility plan following the completion of our carbon assessment
FOCUS ON OUR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND CSR STRATEGY
All our activities and strategies are integrated into sustainable development.
Our firm is also developing sponsorship actions by helping associations of general interest that it hosts free of charge in its premises. It has also agreed to carry out pro bono actions for certain associations.
This document is a formalisation of our CSR action and the translation of a common will to improve.
Our membership of the company with a mission is part of the collective approach and bears witness to our vision and our « raison d’être ».