Corporate Social Responsibility

Last updated February 2020

2 | Corporate Social Responsibility 2018-19

Introduction

10 YEARS PLUS CARING COMPANY

FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE

YEAR

GOLD AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

IN CSR STRATEGY BY THE HUMAN RESOURCES

DISTINCTION AWARD 2018

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CSR should not thrive only within the four walls of our office. We should constantly strive to do more and to do better regardless of where we are.

““

Billy LamHead of CSR

Mayer Brown is a distinctively global law firm and the brand stands for quality and excellence among all our lawyers around the world. With our extensive history in Hong Kong and Asia, we are the only integrated law firm globally with approximately 200 lawyers in Hong Kong, New York and London, the backbone of the global economy.

Along with our rich history, we are also proud of our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which is central to our activities. While financial donations are needed, volunteering our time professionally is equally important to assist those who are disadvantaged, to build a more inclusive society, and to help provide equal opportunities and access to justice. Our CSR programme comprises of various committees – Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Pro Bono Committee, Community Involvement Committee, Green Committee and Charitable Donations Committee – to understand the needs and priorities of our communities and to formulate an annual plan to provide skills, experience, time and philanthropic support. We are one with the community that we live and work in.

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Diversity & Inclusion

EXCELLENCE IN DIVERSITY &

INCLUSION AS PART OF THE HUMAN RESOURCES HR DISTINCTION AWARDS 2018 (HONG KONG)

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We are working together to build an environment where diversity and inclusion, together with all the benefits and strengths they bring, happen naturally.

““

Hong Tran

Head of Diversity & Inclusion Committee

Promoting diversity and inclusion remains a priority initiative for Mayer Brown. We aim to attract and retain diverse staff and maintain an inclusive work environment that is welcoming and supportive so every member of our team has the opportunity to succeed. Our initiatives have been directed towards providing an environment where people from diverse backgrounds feel welcomed and valued and can be their true selves.

We share with our clients the belief that inclusive teams with diverse viewpoints and perspectives deliver solutions that are more innovative and robust. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion extends beyond our workplace into the legal profession and the wider community. Diversity and inclusion empower excellence, opportunity and positive change.

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Diversity and Inclusion Members Celebrates International Women’s Day

In 2018, in Asia, Mayer Brown formalised its diversity and inclusion initiatives and set up a Diversity and Inclusion Committee (the “Committee”). The Committee formed three networks, namely, R.A.W. (which stands for Retain and Advance Women), Pride and Ally (which focusses on LBGT+ matters) and Family Network (which focusses on promoting family-friendly initiatives in the workplace). The Committee and networks are comprised of partners, associates and support staff. Together they work to promote and maintain a culture that values the differences that all staff bring to the Asia offices.

Many of the initiatives have been led by and participated in by management and partners.

This ensures a consistent and clear message backed by the key stakeholders at Mayer Brown on what we are looking to achieve.

The firm voluntarily adopted the Code of Practice against Discrimination in Employment on the Ground of Sexual Orientation. As an Employer of Choice, we increased maternity and paternity leave. We are also part of the Hong Kong Gay and Lesbian Attorney Network (HKGALA), which promotes LGBT diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, increases awareness of LGBT legal issues in Hong Kong and globally, and encourages LGBT-focussed pro bono work.

Diversity & Inclusion

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Cocktail Party Fundraising for Asian University for Women

Asian University for Women (AUW), founded in 2008, is the first regional institution dedicated to women’s education and leadership development. Based in Chittagong, Bangladesh, AUW’s mission is to educate and empower a new generation of women leaders to bring about change and sustainable development in their communities. Mayer Brown is a proud supporter of AUW from financial support to providing pro bono legal assistance. We have raised over HKD 350,000 to fund three full scholarships at AUW. Mayer Brown has also hosted the firm’s first student intern from AUW.

AUW Dinner

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Pro Bono

BRONZE AWARD FROM THE LAW SOCIETY OF

HONG KONG PRO BONO AND

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD FOR 2018

(HONG KONG)

ASIAN PRO BONO INITIATIVE

OF THE YEAR FROM THE ASIA LEGAL

AWARDS 2019 (HONG KONG)

COMPANIES AWARD OF THE HOME AFFAIRS

BUREAU FOR PRO BONO IN 2016-17

Mayer Brown is a leader in developing innovative approaches to pro bono work to ensure access to justice to those who cannot afford legal services. Each year we donate tens of thousands of hours of legal services to the poor and disadvantaged and to the organisations that serve them. From assisting non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with corporate related matters to providing legal education, we strongly encourage every lawyer to participate in the pro bono programme. This year was no exception.

Some of the pro bono areas we covered are: • Alternative dispute resolution

• Contracts • Corporate governance • Criminal • Data privacy• Employment • Family • Intellectual property • Gaming • Land • Tax/Charity

Mayer Brown hosted various internal and external events to increase pro bono participation at the firm and externally in Hong Kong.

Besides building the pro bono culture, Mayer Brown provided external seminars to equip NGOs with the knowledge of the law to further the NGO’s objectives.

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Access to Justice through Pro Bono Partnerships

Co-hosted Employment Pro Bono Workshop

Lawyers are uniquely placed to help those who are in need of legal assistance but cannot afford a lawyer. In dedicating a small portion of time to pro bono legal services, the rewards for our lawyers are tenfold.

““Menachem Hasofer, Co-Head of Asia Pro Bono Committee

Community involvement provides a humbling experience for our staff to learn and address the day-to-day issues faced by others in the local communities. Thus, we encourage each and every one of our staff, including their family, to be involved in our community involvement opportunities.

““Jacqueline Chiu, Co-Head of Community Involvement Committee

Community

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CHAMPION CORPORATE

SUPPORTER OF THE WORLD VISION’S

EXPEDITION 180 FOR HIGHEST NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS

IN 2018

SECOND RUNNER-UP OF THE

WORLD VISION’S EXPEDITION 180 FOR

THE CORPORATE FUNDRAISER

IN 2018

The community we live in encompasses people from all walks of life with various backgrounds and different life circumstances. Thus, as we live and work in or with the communities we operate, Mayer Brown engages our lawyers and staff in various community activities. From donating food and books to lending a hand in distributing meal boxes and blankets to the homeless, we are unified by our shared values and commitment to support the communities financially, with in-kind donations and volunteering our time.

Mayer Brown continued to distribute meals, hygiene products and blankets to the homeless in Sham Shui Po, one of the lowest-income districts in Hong Kong this past year. Homeless individuals can been seen along the streets of Nam Cheong and Boundary street in makeshift shelters made from abandoned mattresses, cardboard boxes and any items they can find. While the distribution does not address the heart of the problem, we hope at least each homeless individual we met would have sufficient food and warmth. This was also an important experience for our staff to see the other side of the community and to give back to the community.

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Meal Distribution

Mayer Brown Team at World Vision’s Expedition 180

Our Hong Kong office, in support of World Vision Hong Kong, contributed to a used book donation drive to help raise funds for proceeds to be donated to the Tianjin Wuqing Children Rehabilitation Centre. The funds allowed the Centre to purchase new rehabilitative equipment, and to provide training and special education for children with disabilities.

For the third year in a row, we have supported World Vision’s Expedition 180, formerly known as the Spring Charity Barefoot Walk. Through this opportunity, over 50 staff members experienced walking barefoot for four kilometres, which is miniscule in comparison to the children of South Sudan dealing with the ongoing conflicts in their country on a daily basis where they are denied basic necessities and food assistance. Mayer Brown was recognised with the highest number of participants and second runner-up for the corporate fundraiser.

While volunteering is an important component of our programme, Mayer Brown also believes in providing financial and in-kind support to community organisations so they can meet their financial needs to carry out their mission. Between 2018 and 2019, Mayer Brown supported various community organisations including but not limited to -

2018/19

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Environmental Conservation

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As a law firm, we are cognizant of the environmental issues and impact of our carbon footprints. We continue to ensure our efforts to protect the environment through action and education.

Between 2018-19, we took active efforts to recycle and reuse our computers by refurbishing over 170 computers and provided them to Crossroads Foundation, a not-for profit organisation that focusses on connecting people in a broken world. We also recycled 69,873 kgs of papers in Hong Kong which is the equivalent of reducing 335,390 kgs of CO2. We have stopped using straws, plastic bottle water and plastic cutlery in our corporate functions. Our office is also certified as a Hong Kong Green Organisation. Our efforts also extended outside of the office.

Each year, Mayer Brown staff participates in the Hong Kong Cleanup Challenge. We partnered with Plastic Free Seas for the third consecutive year, to ensure that the city’s shorelines are free from trash. Our staff cleaned up a beach at Chi Man Wan on Lantau Island to keep the beach clean and trash free.

Lunch & Learn by Plastic Free Seas

Conservation should not end once our staff leaves the four corners of the building. Mayer Brown staff participated in educational opportunities by visiting the WWF’s Mai Po Nature Reserve. At the Reserve, WWF staff showed us how eco-system maintenance works and the importance of it to ensure a thriving environment which supports a wide variety of wildlife. Subsequently we had the first-ever “Night Safari” to observe the night activities. Through these experiences, our staff and their family learned that preservation is key to ensure that nature is protected from our actions.

WWF Mai Po Nature Reserve

Run for Survival

We also supported Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong in its Run for Survival Charity. The funds raised went towards the Foundation’s conservation efforts. For 2018, the Foundation advocated for the reduction of plastic disposables in our daily lives.

We must protect our environment to ensure a viable and sustainable future for many generations to come. Our firm takes such duty seriously by seeking effective ways to protect the environment.

““Woody Chang, Head of Green Committee

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Snapshot of Selected Activities

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2018Q1

Spring Charity Barefoot Walk for Children

Run for Survival with Ocean Park Conservation

Volunteer Work at WWF – Removing Invasive Species at

Mai Po Nature Reserve

Lunch & Learn: Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s TED Talk – “Why We have Too Few Women Leaders”

Q4Screening:

“Love, Simon”

Host & Fundraise: Asian University for Women

Blanket Distribution to the Homeless

Seminar: Pro Bono – What, Why and How?

Lunch & Learn: “Making Quality Time Count – How to Have Better

Relationships with Your Child” by Gordon Parenting

Pro BonoGreen CommitteeDiversity & InclusionCommunity Involvement Committee

2019

Lunch & Learn: Wills, Estates and Guardianship

Lunch & Learn: Stress Management

Meal Distribution to the Homeless

Q2

Run for Survival with Ocean Park Conservation Foundation

Q1Seminar: Pro Bono Opportunities

ESF Hong Kong Family Run - #RunForOurFuture

Street Law Training

Public Interest Sharing Session with Law Students

World Vision’s Expedition 180

Lunch and Learn: Plastic Free Seas

Volunteer Work at WWF – Removing Invasive Species at Mai Po Nature Reserve

International Women’s Day Celebration at Mayer Brown

Lunch & Learn: HKGALA and Equal Opportunities Commission on the QT Case

Lunch & Learn: Create your Work/Life Balance

LEGEND

Q3Lunch & Learn: “Creating a

Respectful Workplace: Calling Out Harassment and Mitigating

Legal and Reputational Risk”

Book Donation to World Vision

Hong Kong Cleanup Challenge

Meal Distribution to the Homeless

Q2

Night Safari at Mai Po Nature Reserve (A Nocturnal Journey)

Time to Get Sporty with Children

10th Anniversary Celebration and Benefit for Asian University

for Women (AUW)

Lunch & Learn: Pro Bono

Seminar: Access to Justice Through Pro Bono Partnerships

Seminar: Pro Bono – What, Why and How?

Lunch & Learn: The Power of Education with Cherie Blair

Mayer Brown is a distinctively global law firm, uniquely positioned to advise the world’s leading companies and financial institutions on their most complex deals and disputes. With extensive reach across four continents, we are the only integrated law firm in the world with approximately 200 lawyers in each of the world’s three largest financial centers—New York, London and Hong Kong—the backbone of the global economy. We have deep experience in high-stakes litigation and complex transactions across industry sectors, including our signature strength, the global financial services industry. Our diverse teams of lawyers are recognized by our clients as strategic partners with deep commercial instincts and a commitment to creatively anticipating their needs and delivering excellence in everything we do. Our “one-firm” culture—seamless and integrated across all practices and regions—ensures that our clients receive the best of our knowledge and experience.

Please visit mayerbrown.com for comprehensive contact information for all Mayer Brown offices.This Mayer Brown publication provides information and comments on legal issues and developments of interest to our clients and friends. The foregoing is not a comprehensive treatment of the subject matter covered and is not intended to provide legal advice. Readers should seek legal advice before taking any action with respect to the matters discussed herein.

Mayer Brown is a global services provider comprising associated legal practices that are separate entities, including Mayer Brown LLP (Illinois, USA), Mayer Brown International LLP (England), Mayer Brown (a Hong Kong partnership) and Tauil & Chequer Advogados (a Brazilian law partnership) (collectively the “Mayer Brown Practices”) and non-legal service providers, which provide consultancy services (the “Mayer Brown Consultancies”). The Mayer Brown Practices and Mayer Brown Consultancies are established in various jurisdictions and may be a legal person or a partnership. Details of the individual Mayer Brown Practices and Mayer Brown Consultancies can be found in the Legal Notices section of our website. “Mayer Brown” and the Mayer Brown logo are the trademarks of Mayer Brown.

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