We think it’s important to be conscious of our social and environmental responsibilities.
As important as our commitment to practising law to the highest standard, we believe that we need to consider how running our business impacts on the local community, the environment and wider social communities in the purchasing chain. We also feel that it’s important to put something back by contributing our skills, knowledge and ideas into charitable projects.
Supporting our community and charities
We try to achieve this by working with charities that support local communities in which we operate. We also support other charities that our firm has a long-standing connection to. We actively encourage and support participation in a range of fundraising activities including sponsored bike-rides and quiz nights.
We support the work of:
Henshaws provides expert care, advice and training to anyone affected by sight loss or visual impairment. Henshaws also work with people with other disabilities and because all of this affects family, friends and colleagues, they work with them too. Henshaws are based in the north of England, with centres and support for communities in Manchester, Merseyside, Harrogate, Knaresborough and Newcastle.
St Ann’s Hospice cares & helps around 3,000 patients (over the age of 16) and their families and carers every year who are affected by cancer and non-cancer life limiting illnesses. They deliver care that is special & unique to each person. Around 40% of inpatients at St Ann’s return home after treatment. St Ann’s provides care on 3 sites & in people’s own homes, working in partnership with acute hospitals, primary care trusts, community services and voluntary organisations. St Ann’s has to raise £16,000 every day to fund the highest quality care.
Helping Uganda Schools “HUGS” started in 1995 with the aim of helping to pay for the education of 15 children who lived in a very rural area of Uganda. With local support and enthusiasm of both villagers and parents HUGS decided to try to purchase land and build a primary school. St Zoe’s school opened in 2001. In 2007 HUGS were asked to help fund a school for children with learning disabilities and with the help of our donors, Good Shepherd School opened in 2009. In 2010 HUGS also opened a secondary school. HUGS raise money from personal donations and events. All funds raised goes to the schools and the children and others in the community who they are helping.
Slater Heelis are corporate sponsors of HOME. HOME is a place for curiosity seekers, lovers of the dramatics, the digital and the deeply engaging; for radicals and reciprocators. HOME features two theatre spaces which serve as a platform for playful, daring, new and commissioned work. Five screens light up with independent, challenging, provocative film. The gallery is home to the very best in contemporary art. Its audiences are widely drawn from the local community, visitors, young people, and of course, the loyal followers of two founding organisations.
Quarantine was formed in 1998 by artists Simon Banham, Richard Gregory and Renny O’Shea. Quarantine work with virtuosic performers and with people who have never done anything like this before – electricians, philosophers, families, soldiers, chefs, children, florists, opera singers and countless others. It’s an ongoing exercise in mass portraiture.
Contact is where young people change their lives through the arts. Based in Manchester, it is a vibrant, professional, contemporary theatre and arts venue, with young people driving every aspect of its work. Contact works with the young people of Greater Manchester and with local, national and international artists to create new models of arts engagement and is unique in its ethos of placing young people’s decision-making at the heart of everything. Young people work alongside staff in deciding the artistic programme, making staff appointments and act as full Board members. This model is seen as a national exemplar of best practice in relation to young people and diversity, influencing organisations nationwide.
We work with the LGBT Foundation, a national charity delivering advice, support and information services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) communities. The Foundation provides a vast range of services and advice for those in the LGBT+ community. Some of our staff have taken part in the LGBT Foundation Pride in Practice Academy which provides an in-depth understanding of how to create safe, inclusive spaces for colleagues, clients and neighbours in the LGBT+ community. We also run a legal surgery through the Foundation.
Rugby League Cares is a charity that touches upon the lives of people involved at every level of the sport, from junior clubs to current and former players. The charity’s mission is to enhance and enrich people’s lives through the power and positive influence of Rugby League. They work hard to ensure the sport’s most important stakeholders, its playing community, get the most out of their involvement in the game, both during their careers and post-retirement. We have partnered with Rugby League Cares to be able to share our legal expertise with those in the sport, across our full range of services, from will writing and family matters to property and starting a business.
We have partnered with the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), also based in Manchester, as we recognise the value that the arts has in enriching our lives, and with both us and RNCM celebrating big milestones in 2023, what a time it is to be working together to promote the brilliant work of budding artists and sharing it with our colleagues, clients and peers.
Mustard Tree combats and prevents poverty, inequality and homelessness across Greater Manchester. Since 1994 they have been helping people help themselves through learning new skills, finding work or sorting out new accommodation. They provide people in crisis with furniture, clothing and food. In our 250th year, we are supporting them in their community shop, food banks and helping out in their many classes and courses.
Cyril Flint is a befriending charity based in Trafford, Didsbury and Chorlton that connects elderly, isolated people with volunteers in their community in an effort to combat loneliness.Volunteers will pop round for an hour a week for a brew and chat, a small kindness that can make a huge difference to someone who has little to no contact with family or friends.
For our 250th year charity days, we will be supporting Cyril Flint with fundraising events that the team at Cyril Flint organise throughout the year, where we will hopefully meet some of the lovely staff, volunteers and ‘befriendee’s’.
Emmeline’s Pantry is a local food bank run by women for women in need, ensuring they are provided with the best possible support. They help women and their families access the things they need most, including food, toiletries, baby equipment and clothes.
They run volunteering days on Mondays throughout the year for their allotment which provides fresh food for the foodbank, and our colleagues will be volunteering their time there throughout our 250th year to support those most in need.
Seashell is a learning disability and autism charity based in Cheadle that provides help and support to children and young adults with a focus on providing quality education for those with additional needs. They host sports day type events through the school holidays and some of our colleagues will be joining in to coach & referee.
Stockdales is a Sale based charity that supports people of all ages with learning disabilities through residential, community and home care services. Our colleagues will be supporting the charity through volunteering days, helping service users and carers with gardening or litter picking, or driving, delivering leaflets and helping out at activity sessions or fundraising events.
Ethical purchasing of goods and services
We try to make informed choices about our purchase of goods and services. Where possible, we consider the ethical policies of our suppliers alongside cost factors. We also encourage an environmentally-aware attitude to the firm’s consumption of goods and services.
Diversity and Inclusion
Slater Heelis employs people from the community as a whole and from a variety of academic backgrounds. We support equal opportunity in the workplace and it is important to us that everyone is treated as an individual and is entitled to work in an environment free from all forms of discrimination so that each member of staff can reach their full potential.
We encourage cooperation and teamwork and provide fair and ethical treatment of all employees regardless of race, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, religion or religious belief, age, disability or social background. This commitment is also true in the provision of services to our clients.
We are a corporate partner of the LGBT Foundation and 10 of our staff have completed Pride in Practice training to become LGBT+ Champions, ensuring an inviting and inclusive environment for members of the LGBT+ community.
The firm is committed to developing and implementing best practice in equality, diversity and inclusion as employers; providers of legal services; purchasers of goods and services; and in their wider role in the community.
All employees and those acting on behalf of the firm are required to adhere to the firm’s equality and diversity policy which covers employees, clients and third party suppliers.
Although we recognise that we have more work to do, we are proud of the progress we have made over the last few years.
The firm has been a signatory of the Law Society Diversity and Inclusion Charter since 2013 and assisted the Law Society with their full review of the Charter.
Our Responsibilities
In undertaking any work for our clients there are various codes of conduct and responsibilities that fall upon us as solicitors.
One such responsibility and policy is the “Interest Policy” that pertains to interest payments that could be paid when funds are held in our client account on your behalf. For further information download the Interest Policy.