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Farris LLP: Vancouver's Law Firm

Corporate Social Responsibility

Farris’ CSR program supports local community events and charities that have a connection to our firm, employees, and clients.

Farris is among the leading law firm community contributors in BC. In addition to financial contributions, Farris lawyers and employees often participate in charitable events providing both leadership and support.

Some examples of our community contributions include the following:

  • Farris lawyers take on pro bono cases from organizations such as Pro Bono Law BC, the Salvation Army, and the Court of Appeal Pro Bono Program. In April 2008, with the encouragement and support of Farris’ Trial Experience Program, one of our Associates, Shannon Salter, was recognized by Pro Bono Law BC. Our lawyers also volunteer with the Law Courts Education Society, the UBC Law Students Legal Advice Program, and the Civil Chambers Duty Counsel Project.
  • In September 2006, Farris donated $1 million to The University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Law. This was the largest gift ever made by a British Columbia law firm at the time. It will support the Faculty of Law in replacing its current building with a new structure on the existing UBC Law School site.
  • Over the past six years, Farris and its employees have contributed over $750,000 to the United Way and its member agencies, and continues to be among the greatest contributing law firms in Vancouver. Recently, Farris was the recipient of an Award of Excellence recognizing our 15 consecutive years of achieving “Gold” level status.
  • The Farris blood donor program was established as part of the Canadian Blood Services/Annual Vancouver Legal Community program. Farris has been actively involved for ten years, winning awards in seven of those years for total donations made.
  • Farris has been a supporter of the St. Paul’s Hospital Lights of Hope annual fundraiser for the past nine years, contributing $90,000 to date. Since its inception in 1998, the campaign has raised more than $12 million for equipment, research, and patient care.
  • Over the past three years, Farris has contributed $15,000 to Arts Umbrella, a non-profit centre for arts education for young people. Arts Umbrella reaches tens of thousands of young people annually, and the Granville Island facility alone hosts more than 260 classes each week.
  • In June 2008, Farris raised over $15,000 (a record for the firm) at the 10th Annual TD Bank Dunk Tank charity fundraiser. It was our 10th year of participation (we’ve been there from the start) with Farris Partners Bob Sloman and Gordon Love doing their part again on the hot seat. The event brings out “celebrity” participants from the downtown business community and proceeds go to Canuck Place and Ronald McDonald House. Our firm’s contributions are made in memory of one of our past staff members, Kirsten Stazyk.
  • We sponsor and run a clothing collection program for Dress for Success, a program to help disadvantaged women trying to enter the workforce.
  • Our firm supports the following organizations and events: BC Cancer Foundation; Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital; British Columbia Paraplegic Association; The Weekend to End Breast Cancer; Central City Foundation Downtown Eastside; and Cypress Mountain Relay for Life. Farris also supports its employees in The Vancouver Sun Run; Climb the Wall for Clean Air; Science Fair Foundation Fun Run; Easter Seals 24 hour relay; Run for the Cure; and Bowl for Big Brothers. Recently, Anne Gallagher was the leading individual fundraiser in the Climb the Wall event, primarily raising monies from colleagues in the firm. Melissa Proctor, Janine McRae and Maggie Basa raised both money and awareness at the Safeway Father’s Day Walk/Run for Prostate Cancer. Even the firm’s Christmas cards were sourced from the students at Capilano College’s IDEA Program.
  • The firm has consistently supported Kelowna Minor Baseball, Ballet Kelowna, the Central Okanagan United Way, Okanagan Symphony, and the KGH Foundation. Recently, an agreement was signed with the University of British Columbia to establish an award in Legal Studies and we support the Okanagan Bar Association Endowed Entrance Award.
  • Recent internal initiatives include Farris introducing an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), whereby employees have confidential access to qualified counselling professionals who help resolve personal and work-related problems before they affect health, family, or the ability to work. Farris also introduced a fitness subsidy program for its employees encouraging them to participate in fitness activities.

Farris has a long history of giving back to community events and local charities. Our efforts were recognized when, for the second straight year, Farris won the Corporate Social Responsibility Award at the Legal Marketing Association’s HELM Awards.

Farris Goes Green

Environmental responsibility is increasingly important to us and to our clients. As a result, Farris has established a focused team of lawyers and staff to uncover ways to reduce our carbon footprint, minimize the impact on our natural environment, and to ensure firm operations are undertaken in an environmentally responsible manner.  Our “green team” is organized into five key areas and our mission is to identify and implement sustainable programs in the following core areas:

  • Paper Consumption
  • Energy
  • Recycling
  • Environmentally Responsible Supplies
  • Transportation

Our People on the Board of Directors for CSR Organizations

Autism Community Training (ACT)Alison Narod
Arts Club Theatre CompanyMitchell Gropper, Q.C.
BC SPCAMarylee Davies
British Columbia Achievement FoundationKeith Mitchell, Q.C
British Columbia Innovation Council (Immediate Past Chair)Hector MacKay-Dunn, Q.C.
Jewish Federation of Greater VancouverMitchell Gropper, Q.C.
Leading Edge Endowment FundHector MacKay-Dunn, Q.C.
LifeSciences British ColumbiaHector MacKay-Dunn, Q.C.
National Research Council of CanadaJames Hatton
Pacific Parkinson’s Research CongressGordon Love
Pacific Parkinson’s Research InstituteGordon Love
Royal Roads UniversityJames Hatton
Tennis CanadaHector MacKay-Dunn, Q.C.
UBC Law Alumni AssociationMarylee Davies
Vancouver Foundation of Art, Justice and LibertyChristine Oberti
West Vancouver Soccer ClubRobert Sloman