Change, Challenge, B-Corp and Becoming a Better Business

However, when we started Bexley Beaumont, we determined that it should be about more than simply the bottom line, as important as that is for any organisation.

We realised that we wanted to do the right things for the right reasons - doing good by doing business well, if you like, in more than just a commercial sense.

Sticking to such principles while growing a business is not necessarily easy.

Yet it is something which really motivates us, and which has spurred us to take what we believe to be an important step as a business, both for now and the future.

We are truly privileged to be able to say that have become a certified B-Corporation, following a rigorous two-year process.

For those unfamiliar with what B-Corp status means, it is a means of recognising those organisations which meet the very highest standards in social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

Achieving certification requires dedication. It has been anything but a box-ticking exercise. We have had to demonstrate that we not only aspire to good practice but engage in it on a daily basis. We have had to be able to show that we take our staff and partners, clients, suppliers, community and the environment into account in all that we do.

In that, I would argue, the accreditation process has been of immense benefit, forcing us to reflect on and refine our policies and procedures and, therefore, help us sharpen our focus for the future.

It means so much more to us and our stakeholders than mere numbers but the statistics demonstrate the exclusive company in which we find ourselves.

Bexley Beaumont is now one of only 38 firms in the UK offering legal services to have attained B-Corp status. We are, in fact, the largest firm in England and Wales with a fee-share operating model by partner numbers to be certified.

Being B-Corp accredited means that we are part of a worldwide movement comprising more than 10,000 firms in 163 different industries and spanning 103 countries, all of which have a similar commitment to do business better for people and the planet.

I believe that joining such a club is a huge testament to our approach and will stand us in good stead for the years to come.

Even before we began our B-Corp certification journey, we had rolled out our own Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework. We put in place a Climate Action Plan to illustrate the environmental standards to which we hold ourselves.

In 2024, Bexley Beaumont also established a charitable foundation, the BBFoundation, to fulfil our ESG responsibilities to clients and the community. The Foundation currently supports three projects, (with more to be announced soon) including the Ocean Conservation Trust's "Mini Meadows" project, which preserves seagrass meadows along the UK's coastline; LawCare, an organisation offering support to individuals working in the UK legal profession, and the Sutton Trust, which pursues social mobility initiatives nationwide.

Equally, becoming a B-Corporate may be a significant milestone but it is not an end in itself. All accredited businesses are verified every three years, and we need to demonstrate that we are sticking to their obligations.

Everyone at Bexley Beaumont is utterly determined to live up to those expectations and prove that we follow optimal business practice and stakeholder governance at the same time as providing the kind of expert legal advice for which we have become renowned.

For further information, please contact Karen: karenbexley@bexleybeaumont.com  |  07971 859332