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Social Responsibility and Social Innovation - Contributions from a Portuguese Law Firm
Ana Sofia Firmino
Pages - 36 - 63     |    Revised - 11-09-2021     |    Published - 15-06-2022
Volume - 0   Issue - 0    |    Publication Date - January 31, 2022  Table of Contents
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KEYWORDS
Corporate Social Responsibility, Law Firm, Social Innovation, Vieira de Almeida Law Firm, Social Demands.
ABSTRACT
The present study aims to analyze how a big law firm – in this case, Vieira de Almeida Law Firm (based in Portugal) – can adjust and accommodate general framework regarding social responsibility and social innovation to meet specific responsibilities (and needs) of lawyers.

It will be highlighted how this law firm has developed, especially in the last two decades, a solid program of social responsibility – with special focus on pro bono legal assistance, citizenship education, third sector capacity building, corporate volunteering, internal campaigns and environmental sustainability – and how it encouraged the promotion of social innovation actions, aligning different interests and agents and contributing for the development and dissemination of this area (for example, through the support of nonprofit civil society organizations).

Vieira de Almeida Law Firm (VdA) was chosen as a leading example in the Portuguese market of big law firms, since it supports a different approach on how lawyers can (and should) act when practicing law; appealing for a practice with purpose, in line with the values that are recognized by this law firm to be at the core of Justice.

Through the present study, we expect to enrich research on corporate social responsibility and social innovation regarding specifically law firms and contribute for the future development of studies in this area by the International Journal of Business Research and Management, promoting investigation that has not been particularly explored previously.

The Special Issue in which the present study is published – dedicated to “Social Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Finance: Theory and Practice in Challenging Times” – constitutes an opportunity to reveal how social responsibility and social innovation can be an important contribution to face new challenges, caused, for example, by pandemic times.
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Mrs. Ana Sofia Firmino
Legal Adviser, Lisbon, 1200 - Portugal
anafirmino@hotmail.com


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