Corporate Social Responsibility
At Gordon Feinblatt, we think of CSR as fundamentally about being good neighbors.
Formally, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is “[a] management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders” (United Nations Industrial Development Organization). We leverage our resources to help our colleagues, our community partners, and the next generation of people entering the legal industry find personal success while also contributing to the greater good.
While each company has their own approach to CSR, at Gordon Feinblatt, our program has three interrelated focus areas:
Our CSR program is built around the ideas and passions of our firm personnel who are all regularly encouraged to share their suggestions. This has resulted in a wide array of programs, from a Black history month multimedia contest with Baltimore City school students describing their role models and meeting local community leaders, to learning about our local ecology on a nature walk in a state park. Our most successful ventures occur when firm personnel can engage directly with others, through mentorship, volunteering, and learning.
We also use our professional skills to assist our clients, including pro bono clients, with CSR related questions including regulatory compliance issues, policies and initiatives, and advocacy. In “Up Close and Personal”, a video series, we share with you who we are and why we do what we do. Hear from our CSR Administrator, Alex Montanio. She provides a quick insight into our CSR initiative, what it entails, why she enjoys the role and her goal for this position.
Our CSR efforts are ongoing throughout the year, and we regularly share them on our social media platforms. We also publish an annual report that highlights our efforts from the previous year. You can view our most recent report below:
Annual Report Library
With the development of a full time CSR position in 2020, the firm began releasing annual reports highlighting some of our favorite and most impactful projects.
A Tradition of CSR
Serving the community has always been an integral part of the firm.
Since its founding in 1953, Gordon Feinblatt LLC has made a commitment to supporting the people of Maryland. Eugene Feinblatt, co-founder of the firm, was a great contributor to the development of the State of Maryland and the City of Baltimore. For example, he served as Chairman of the Baltimore Urban Renewal Agency, which facilitated the transformation of the Inner Harbor.
Seventy years later, the approximately 130 personnel that comprise our firm continue to share Mr. Feinblatt's commitment to being good neighbors by serving others. As we have grown, our ability to invest our resources into causes and initiatives we are passionate about has only deepened, and our relationships with other people and organizations that share our values have only broadened.
Building on Tradition: Current CSR Efforts
In 2017, the firm reconstituted its commitment to diversity and inclusion by launching a comprehensive initiative aimed at addressing three core pillars: 1) Firm Inclusion; 2) Recruiting and Retention; and 3) Community Involvement.
A committee of firm personnel representing many different departments and roles formed to develop new programing and recommendations around these areas.
The following year, having recognized the breadth of the firm's involvement in the community, a standalone Community Engagement Committee was also formed to review and support the firm's philanthropic giving, pro bono efforts and volunteer opportunities, with the ability for any firm personnel to suggest how the firm should engage with these efforts.
As the work of these committees expanded, the firm created a new position in FY20 — the Corporate Social Responsibility Administrator. This position, filled by Alexandria Montanio, also Counsel at the firm, not only works in alignment with the ongoing work of the committees, but also reviews, proposes, and supports other related initiatives as part of a more comprehensive approach to Corporate Social Responsibility.
Aderant Client Awards 2023
Our Enterprise Systems Administrator, Lisa Sandifer, accepting the Aderant Excellence in Environmental, Social, and Governance Award. The Aderant Client Awards celebrate the best in partnership, innovation, leadership, and strategic vision. We were recognized mainly for our work with the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) Negotiation teams and our sustainability efforts.