Scottish Power teams up with Clifford Chance
Steven Graham, Solicitor at Scottish Power
​​Tell us a little about a pro bono project
This is really the first thing that kicked off the pro bono work, it’s a project with Clifford Chance, which is a refugee action programme. It’s primarily led by Clifford Chance but our lawyers feed into it. It works well because it was something that people could kind of quite easily fit into their day job and it also had the benefit of not requiring specific immigration law knowledge.
Because we're such a big team and everyone’s quite specialised, there was never going to be a one-size-fits-all solution. This project was great because it involved more general research skills and checking sources, so it meant all of us could take part with a level playing field.
The way the programme works is that we help people who are applying for asylum, ensuring that their applications are fact-checked and that there are well-sourced explanations of the kind of circumstances that can occur in different countries. So it's not pure immigration legal work, it’s all more research-based and uses general legal skills.
How did you launch the project internally?
We all went through some training that Clifford Chance provided and then got on the relevant email chains so people could sign up to do what they wanted. Once someone had done one application, they spoke to others in their team about the process and the amount of time that went into it. It was an effective way to get people excited about signing up and setting their expectations.
How did you cover this project from an insurance angle?
The insurance was covered by partnering with Clifford Chance, who ultimately take responsibility for the advice that goes back to the charity because they have someone leading on each referral. The work we do feeds into the final advice that goes to the charity.
What made this particular project successful in your view?
Having training was helpful and the fact that it's quite flexible in terms of the way you can do it. Generally there's quite a long lead in time, which allows you to take the work when you have the capacity to do it. Also, the way we structure it internally means we have two lawyers on a project, so if one person becomes unable to carry out their research and drafting, then someone else within the team can pick it up.
Part of what we were keen to see was the final outcome. We have tried to find out what has happened to see whether we had a positive impact, which is difficult, but Clifford Chance has confirmed that because of our support they have been able to take on more referrals.
How did you ensure volunteer engagement/senior stakeholder buy in?
This is probably our most popular project. A lot of our lawyers are passionate about law outside their day jobs so it's a good opportunity for them to get involved in projects in which they see a tangible difference that they're providing to these people.
In terms of senior management buy-in, all the legal directors get involved in these projects themselves and are encouraged to do so. And also making pro bono work mandatory in terms of employee objectives for the year really helps with engagement. It demonstrates how important it is to Scottish Power to carry out these hours and make sure everyone gets involved.
What lessons did you learn from this project which you will apply to future projects?
Having something in which it is helpful to be a lawyer but with no need to be an expert in a particular field. Sharing the load is also good – being able to break it down and split in among so many people makes it easier to tackle. It's definitely opened our eyes to thinking about the breadth of things on which we have skills to offer. People also appreciate having helped an individual as well, as opposed to providing more commercial advice to an organisation.