Hicksons In The Community

Corporate social responsibility

Hicksons is committed to building on its socially responsible business practices by further developing and improving the firm’s corporate social responsibility program.  Our key objectives are to:

• align with stakeholders, including the community, clients and our staff
• contribute to the community through pro bono work, mentoring, 
  participation in community events and corporate giving
• ensure that the environment is not adversely affected by the impact of 
  our dealings, and
• maintain integrity and respect in our business and community relationships, based on principles, human actions and proposals that are ethical.

Partner commitment

Hicksons partners, led by Managing Partner John Markos, are committed to improving, developing and maintaining a visible framework that embeds five core corporate social capabilities within the fabric of the firm’s operations.  These capabilities are: 

1.  stakeholder engagement
2.  ethical business behaviour
3.  social accountability 
4.  value-attuned communications  
5.  dialogue.

Community activities

The Hicksons Community Charity Fund is a firm wide initiative to promote social justice in the community, through a structured program of philanthropic giving.  Staff and partners contribute to the fund which helps the destitute, homeless, the aged, disadvantaged children and young people, and those with mental illnesses.  It also supports vital health and education services.  The fund's charity in 2008 is the Wesley Mission.

Our partners and staff also support a range of other community and corporate fundraising activities including:

• mentoring school students under the LEAPS program (Lawyers Encouraging and Assisting Promising Students). Hicksons lawyers, including partners, participate in a series of structured meetings and mentoring of school students from Canterbury Girls High School
• participating in Rotary fundraising activities
• sponsoring community fundraising events such as the annual Pink Ribbon Breakfast to raise funds for breast cancer research, and  
• the MCRI Foxtel Lap, a corporate sporting challenge designed to raise funds for the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. 

Pro bono

We provide pro bono assistance with legal work for people and not-for-profit organisations in need, who cannot afford to pay for legal services.