"Human rights go hand in hand with business sense", 13 Jun 2016

…While corporate firms must operate as businesses, executive management and practitioners must not blindly focus on profitability as a path to commercial success. Human rights are an objective threshold and should be advocated by those within and outside of the field alike.

The culture within today’s firms may suggest otherwise. Despite mounting pro bono commitments, there is a widespread but skewed belief among practitioners that an expression of compassion for human rights is a sign of commercial weakness for the corporate lawyer…

The benefits of supporting a corporate lawyer’s interest in human rights include the creation of a strong foundation for commercial success. While not all corporate law firms have the budget or resources to provide pro bono services, encouraging lawyers to pursue these interests is fundamental in maintaining trust between corporate law firms and the community…