Corporate Social Responsibility
Society’s expectations
of business and the professions are increasing, and the legal
sector is not immune to this. ADR Group takes its responsibilities
to society very seriously, and we are constantly exploring
ways to minimise our negative impacts and maximise the positive
contribution we can make to society.
Indeed, we are exploring with Corporate
Social Responsibility accreditation bodies how Alternative
Dispute Resolution can be seen as inherently better for society
than conventional litigation. Compared to litigation, ADR
procedures such as arbitration and mediation benefit society
in the following ways:
- ADR is more cost-effective, achieving solutions for a fraction
of the typical cost of litigation.
- ADR is not adversarial, and participants may be exposed
to lower levels of stress than in litigation.
- Litigation seeks to find a “winner” (and, by
implication, a “loser”) whereas a properly conducted
ADR procedure will leave both parties satisfied with the result.
ADR Group encourages the use of Alternative
Dispute Resolution in a range of environmental, contractual,
employment and other contexts relevant to Corporate
Social Responsibility. We believe that an organisation’s
commitment to exhaust ADR techniques before commencing litigation
should be acknowledged and rewarded by the accreditation bodies.
ADR in a wider context
We believe that Alternative Dispute Resolution has the potential
to provide solutions to many of the world’s seemingly
intractable disputes. We stage regular seminars to explore
these possibilities and to suggest new approaches to old problems.
ADR Group’s own impact
As an office-based membership organisation, ADR Group’s
negative CSR impacts are minimal. However, we are working
with CSR Consultancy to identify areas of possible improvement,
and ways that ADR Group member firms might improve.
Stakeholder Feedback
We welcome feedback from stakeholders from all sections of
the community. If you have any comment on ADR Group, please click here to let us know what you think.
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