Volunteering, donations and a Santa dash: a roundup of Christmas charity efforts by law firms

The Christmas Dinner Project, organised by north east firm Pepperells Solicitors has raised £9,500 providing 380 families with a Christmas dinner this year.

Burges Salmon welcomed the Lord Mayor of Bristol Paul Goggin who collected gifts donated in support of the mayor’s Bristol Children’s Appeal. 

Staff from DAC Beachcroft supported homeless charity The Felix Project by volunteering at various sites across the UK.

Representatives of Barcan Kirby’s values committee collected and donated to foodbanks near to its five offices, including Refresh Bedminster, Kingswood Foodbank Outlet and North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank.

Birketts launched a firm-wide initiative called the Great Birketts Sleepout, with staff (including these from Norwich) raising almost £16,000 to help to tackle youth homelessness. 

Four charities will each receive a donation of £25,000 from national practice Bevan Brittan – the largest amount the firm has ever handed over – after a year’s fundraising. InUnity in Birmingham, The 1625 Independent People in Bristol, Leeds Women’s Aid and The Talent Tap in London were all nominated by staff. 

Hall Brown donated £1,500 through collections this month alone to five charities nominated by staff at each of its offices. 

Carpenters Group staff ran the Santa Dash in Liverpool and Glasgow, raising around £1,400 for two charities. Selection boxes were also donated to the local community and the firm held a winter clothing appeal.

East of England firm Ellisons Solicitors organised box collections for food banks in Bury St Edmunds, Colchester, Chelmsford, Frinton and Ipswich, with the firm also donating £2,500 to be shared between the organisations. 

Staff at all offices of Fletchers Solicitors donated toys to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and visited to make the delivery in person.

Highlights from national firm TLT included a Santa Dash around Glasgow to raise money for Street League, a stall in Bristol selling donuts for Young Bristol and making and selling crochet creations in Belfast for Orchardville. In Manchester, around 30 staff volunteeered at the clothing bank at Lifeshare.

South east firm Moore Barlow volunteered at a Christmas event run by a local charity called The Lighthouse, based in Woking, to bring cheer for Ukrainian refugees in the local area.

A team from Wards Solicitors in Bristol ran stalls at the Henleaze Christmas Festival in December, including a human fruit machine, raising money for 1625 Independent People, which works to prevent homelessness among young people.

Staff at north west firm Express Solicitors bought hundreds of presents to donate to the Cheshire Adventure Farm Trust. It also provided 300 mince pies for parents and carers at St Wilfrid’s CofE Primary in Northenden.

National firm RWK Goodman held its annual '12 Days of Christmas' themed auction and raffle, raising more than £2,500 for regional flagship charities. 

East Anglia firm Ashtons Legal hosted a Christmas wreath-making session in Norwich and then a Christmas lunch for members of the Anglia Asbestos Disease Support Group. All money raised goes to Mesothelioma UK to fund a new specialist nurse in Norfolk/Suffolk. The Bury St Edmunds office also held a fundraiser last week for the firm’s charitable trust.

National firm VWV had a host of fundraising events for its charity of the year OTR Bristol, including a ‘best dressed festive pet’ competition, won by messrs Willow and Ginny.

WBD brought back its Giving Tree campaign for 2023, which supports each office's chosen charity (such as Alive Activities in Bristol) in providing supplies, gifts, and items that the charity needs. Employees were encouraged to purchase items on the list provided by the charity and donate them by putting them under the 'Giving Tree' in each office.