Modern Day Slavery

We are committed to combatting slavery and human trafficking across our organisation and supply chains and to ensuring that we do business in an ethical manner.

We believe that this commitment will benefit our clients and stakeholders affected by our activities. We recognise, however, that we are but one link in a supply chain to the end user that is long, and potentially global. Therefore, it is essential that our suppliers also understand and appreciate the standards of conduct we expect of any company that does business with us.

Organisation’s structure

We are a leading UK professional services firm offering legal and planning consultancy services, incorporating 8 offices and with approximately 765 employees (and consultants). Shakespeare Martineau LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales. In 2020/2021 our turnover equated to £69.4 million. Prior to 1 May 2021, Shakespeare Martineau LLP had approximately 113 members. Since 1 May 2021, Shakespeare Martineau LLP has had a number of members, one of which is Ampa Holdings LLP. Ampa Holdings LLP has approximately 123 members.

Our business

Shakespeare Martineau’s business can be broken down into three practice groups: Life and Business; Infrastructure and Specialist Markets; and Litigation Services and Dispute Resolution. Life and Business offers legal advice on corporate, commercial, intellectual property, banking and employment issues to businesses; and on family matters, wills, probate and trusts to individuals. We also offer residential conveyancing services. We provide sector-focused legal advice to the energy, education, social housing, residential and commercial property and development sectors from our Infrastructure and Specialist Markets practice. We also offer planning consultancy services through our Marrons Planning brand. We advise on all aspects of litigation and dispute resolution, provide large scale litigation services to businesses through our Corclaim brand, and we offer a number of litigation services to individuals, trading as Lime Solicitors.

We subcontract some of our work to SHMA (Glasgow) LLP, a separate entity regulated by the Law Society of Scotland.

Our supply chains

Our suppliers provide us with the following types of operational supplies:

• Office equipment & consumables;
• Employee services (ie. benefits);
• Auditing services;
• Telecommunications and digital technology;
• Building services such as cleaning, waste collection, and maintenance services;
• Archiving and off-site storage facilities;
• Switchboard services;
• Hospitality and catering;
• Consultancy services;
• Temporary/agency workers.

We also use legal service suppliers for services necessary to deliver an outcome for a legal matter, such as barristers and other lawyers, medical agencies, experts and forensic investigators.

We have assessed our supply chains for the risk of involvement in slavery and human trafficking.

Most of our suppliers are UK-based. Some have international supply chains or are part of international groups. There is an increased risk of the use of slavery and human trafficking in international supply chains.

Most of our workers are employed directly by us. There is an increased risk of the use of slavery and human trafficking where we do not employ workers directly, for example temporary workers provided by employment agencies.

Most of our workers carry out skilled work. There is an increased risk of the use of slavery and human trafficking in unskilled job roles.

Our policy on slavery and human trafficking

We are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or in any part of our business.

Our Anti-Slavery & Human Trafficking Policy reflects our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships, and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our supply chains.

We have taken the following steps towards achieving this outcome and mitigating the risks identified in our risk assessment:

• New suppliers (of a material service and/or level of goods) are required to complete a thorough due diligence questionnaire, including specifically providing details of how they ensure:
  • child labour is not used in their operations
  • forced, bonded or involuntary labour is not used in their operations, including confirmation that workers are not obliged to lodge identity papers or pay deposits as a condition of work;
  • working hours, wages and benefits are lawful;
  • workers are not subject to abuse or intimidation.
• Our supplier contracts (re: a material service and/or level of goods) oblige suppliers:
  • not to engage in any conduct that would be an offence under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 if such conduct was carried out in the UK;
  • to comply with our Anti-Slavery & Human Trafficking Policy or their own equivalent to this;
  • to undertake not to purchase any resources sourced from producers or manufacturers using forced labour;
  • to implement due diligence procedures on their own supply chain to ensure there is no slavery or human trafficking;
  • to implement appropriate due diligence, audit and training systems to ensure their sub-contractors comply with our Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy;
  • to keep records to trace the supply chain of all goods and services provided to us.
  • to allow us to audit their compliance.
• Supplier performance is monitored throughout the duration of the contract, and for long term contracts, the due diligence questionnaire is resubmitted at least every three years.
• We require the heads of our business operations teams to carry out a detailed review of long-term operational suppliers at least every three years.
• We have a whistleblowing procedure which provides for the appropriate escalation of suspected wrongdoing, and for the protection and support of whistle-blowers.

These steps are documented in the following policies and procedures:

• Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy
• Supplier Terms and Conditions Addendum
• Supplier Questionnaire
• Supplier Management Procedure (Legal Services Suppliers)
• Supplier Management Policy
• Supplier Guidance
• Whistleblowing Policy and Procedure

This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes Shakespeare Martineau LLP’s slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 2021.

Andrew Whitehead (Designated Member)
Shakespeare Martineau LLP
16 September 2022