Corporate Responsibility is an integral part of our culture and reflects our values as a firm.  Through a combination of different initiatives and the way in which we operate our business, we seek to minimise our impact on the environment, to contribute positively to the communities in which we operate and to promote the wellbeing of our employees.  Our Corporate Responsibility policy sets out our commitment and we share our Corporate Responsibility experiences with our clients, suppliers and other organisations in order to further promote responsible business practices.

Employee Wellbeing

The legal profession is consistently voted one of the most stressful areas of work in the UK. It is well known for having a long hours culture, high workloads, high targets and emotionally challenging cases.

All solicitors have to develop a high level of emotional resilience in order to be able to adapt to and cope with the stress intrinsic to the job.

At Slate Legal we want our employees to be happy, healthy and performing at the top of their game. We understand that this can only happen if their work-life balance is optimal.

Slate Legal is not your traditional law firm. We’re a modern, virtual law firm which enables us to offer fully flexible working. Our solicitors and associates are given full autonomy to manage themselves, their own workload and output and we actively encourage regular outdoor activities such as windsurfing, to help maintain physical and mental wellbeing.

Diversity, equality & inclusion

We consider it important to promote values of diversity, equality and inclusion throughout our business. Within our first month of trading, we became a signatory to the Law Society’s Diversity & Inclusion Charter - the flagship diversity initiative of the legal profession which encourages law firms to develop and implement best practices in diversity, equality and inclusion.

Community investment

We aim to support and strengthen the local communities in which we operate, for example, through various pro bono and other voluntary activities. 

Our Managing Partner, James Moss, has served for a number of years , on a voluntary basis, as a trustee on the board of a Newport poverty charity, The Gaweda Trust.  He has also helped out as a volunteer at Newport’s winter night shelter for homeless people.  

Every year we help raise awareness of a local charity and provide it with financial support.  Our Charity of the Year 2025 is SARA (Severn Area Rescue Association) - a volunteer lifeboat and inland search and rescue charity, with 7 lifeboat and rescue stations along the length of the River Severn. We’re acutely aware of the unique challenges and dangers of the Severn Estuary and fully support SARA’s role in saving lives on and around the Severn.

Environment

We seek to minimise our carbon footprint by:

• operating a paperless office policy

• using recycled or sustainably sourced office supplies

• recycling all printer ink cartridges and used paper

• using energy efficient office equipment

• sourcing local suppliers where possible to reduce travel emissions

• using tap water (rather than filtered or bottled water)

• operating a strict ‘switch-off’ policy

• making greater use of tele/video-conferencing

• running a virtual office using the latest cloud-based technology

We are committed to making sustainable development central to all that we do.  Within our first month of trading we became a member of the Legal Sustainability Alliance and a signatory to the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Development Charter. We are also accredited signatories to the Good Business Charter and members of SME Climate Hub, part of the world’s largest alliance of organisations committed to the United Nations’ Race to Zero campaign and have gone further and signed the Climate Pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040.