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At Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, we are
ardent admirers of the Pacific Northwest’s natural beauty.
We are grateful for the mountains, rivers and valleys, and the
abundance of fresh produce, wines and wood products they produce.
We do not take these things for granted, and constantly strive
to do right by our clients, the community and the natural world
around us. As a socially-responsible business, we cannot take
our natural environment for granted.
Schwabe’s professionals are increasingly mindful of the
impact that our ecological footprint (carbon or otherwise) has
on the local, regional and global environment. Whether by collecting
coffee grounds for the gardeners among us or acting as a collecting
station for home battery recycling, we are integrating a sustainable
business place with a sustainable home life. Our commitment to
sustainability is also expressed in respect for our dedicated
employees, our commitment to diversity hiring practices and our
investment in wellness and continuing education opportunities
for attorneys and staff. A sustainability blog is available on
the firm's intranet for attorneys and staff who wish to share
information, ideas and events regarding sustainability.
Our attorneys and staff volunteer donate many thousands of hours
each year to pro bono work, professional committees, charities
and civic groups. We do this from an understanding that we must
do our part to preserve and sustain the community and natural
world that sustains us. The intangible benefits of these commitments
make a greater impact than could ever be quantified or reduced
to a bottom line.
But promoting sustainability takes more than altruism and a
healthy love for nature. Living and working sustainably takes
more than a one-time donation or a recycling drive. Truly promoting
sustainable practices requires a fundamental shift in thinking
– a fundamental reassessment of the way we do business.
It requires introspection, self-awareness and taking the long-view.
For a law firm, that means measuring and improving the way we
serve our clients and the way we impact the community. We collaborate
with such leaders as Axis
Performance, Flexcar,
and The Natural Step in an
effort to make a positive change within the legal community and
beyond.
We can reduce our paper waste stream or compost our coffee grounds,
but we can also help our clients take advantage of clean energy
tax credits and green building initiatives. Often, we learn new
best practices from our clients and new ways to provide better
legal services in a more sustainable way. For nearly a hundred
years, Schwabe has counseled Pacific Northwest clients by building
and sustaining healthy relationships based on mutual respect.
We believe that embracing sustainability – in the natural
world and the workplace – will take us through the next
hundred years.
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