Over 250 partners and staff from 13 firms in the largest legal market outside London have pledged their commitment to the first Leeds Legal Environment Week, taking place between 5 and 9 November. Spearheaded by a trio of organisations, Leeds Legal, Leeds Ahead and Groundwork Leeds, it will focus on five communities that fall within the worst 10 per cent nationally on the government’s Index of Multiple Deprivation.
As part of the Cleaner Greener Leeds campaign, dedicated to improving the city, the lawyers will lend a helping hand in five day-long projects, including painting public underpasses in Little London, litter clearance in Bramley, gardening in Gipton, area wide tidy ups in Chapeltown and landscaping in Beeston. There will also be a live link to the Yorkshire Forward Building Better Businesses and Communities conference at the Royal Armouries on Wednesday 7 November. The event, which features keynote speaker Sir Bob Geldof, aims to match community and volunteer projects with businesses.
Alan M Baker, chairman of Leeds Legal, Britain’s first city-based legal marketing campaign, said: “Environment Week has received an overwhelming response from Leeds lawyers. It is
another prime example of the city’s legal profession working together as a collective for the greater good of the city.”
John Cummins, communities team leader of environmental charity Groundwork Leeds, said: “It’s great to see businesses supporting priority communities in such an enthusiastic way and we encourage more of this, to help make Leeds Britain’s Cleanest City by 2009. We are really grateful for all the effort that everyone involved is making to improve local areas.”
Stephanie Burras, chief executive of Leeds Ahead, a not-for-profit organisation that facilitates the involvement of private sector organisations in a range of regeneration and community-focused initiatives, said: “In the initial planning stage, the organising team envisaged around 100 lawyers would support the project. But now more than double this figure have volunteered, which is testament to Leeds lawyers’ commitment to the local community.”
Leeds Legal, is backed by the Leeds Law Society, Marketing Leeds and regional office of The Law Society of England and Wales, and is dedicated to raising the profile of the Leeds legal profession, both nationally and internationally within Europe. Leeds is home to over 150 law firms, employing more than 8,000 professionals. Many of the UK’s national and international firms were founded in the city.
