Buckles Law has been awarded B Corp Certification by B Lab, the global non-profit behind the movement and joins fewer than one per cent of UK law firms to hold the accreditation. B Corp Certification recognises businesses that meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.
Candidate organisations must score at least 80 points on B Lab’s rigorous B Impact Assessment, a 200-question examination of governance, employee welfare, environmental practices and community impact. The process can take up to 18 months to complete.
Buckles recorded its strongest scores in Governance, Workers and Environment, with the firm’s Governance score particularly striking at 10.8 out of a possible 11.5, earning exceptional marks for mission and engagement, ethics and transparency.
Duncan Jackson, CEO of Buckles Law, said: “There is no shortage of ways for a law firm to measure itself, whether its directory rankings, awards or peer recognition, all of which have value. But B Corp certification is something completely different.
“It is an independent, evidence-based assessment of how the entire business operates, not just the quality of its legal work. That makes it, in many respects, the most satisfying external validation we have received.
“To score so highly in Governance, specifically in ethics and transparency, means a great deal to us as a law firm. Our clients place enormous trust in us and hold us to the highest standards of professional conduct.
“And to have that independently verified through a process that examines every aspect of how we operate is genuinely gratifying. It confirms that our values are not just something we say, but something we can demonstrate.”
For clients, B Corp status provides straightforward assurance that Buckles’ values have been tested, not just stated. Certification requires an annual impact report and recertification every three years, which is a public commitment to continuous improvement, not a one-off exercise.
Jackson concludes: “In a profession where long hours and high pressure are often taken as a given, Buckles has chosen a different model, one where the firm’s obligations to its people do not begin and end with a salary”.
