IPC believes that law firms should not be in business simply for the sake of earning profits. It is important for our firm to promote and engage in corporate social responsibility actions that have a lasting impact on today’s social and economic challenges. It is also good for business: our clients (and potential clients) appreciate and look to work with us because we are playing an ethical and responsible part in the community.
As a boutique firm, we focus our corporate responsibility efforts on our New Orleans and Birmingham communities. This focus allows us to be committed to specific causes, while also encouraging our employees to be involved in activities that have meaning to them. Our professionals are involved in efforts within our community related to literacy, cultural preservation, religious and educational activities. We also believe that often the most effective activism occurs when we use our expertise to help others. For this reason, we engage in local pro bono activities with intellectual property needs such as the Tulane Patent Lab and the Ella Project’s Gulf South Invents program.
For us, being a responsible law firm means acting with purpose – to work to build a sustainable future for our clients, our people, and our communities. We do that by:
GOVERNANCE
A firm’s social responsibility policy is only as good as the firm’s governance. As a boutique firm with a modest management structure, IPC is well positioned to make fast and significant decisions which impact our community. We are nimble and act with purpose.
OUR EMPLOYEES
Social responsibility starts with our team. All IPC employees are paid well, participate in retirement savings programs, have unlimited time off and parental leave. Our professionals have billable hour requirements that are hundreds of hours less than our competitors. We support professional development by providing resources, opportunities and encouragement to enhance skills and knowledge. We believe that if we want our employees to actively contribute to their community, they must experience a high level of quality of life.
DIVERSITY
It is well documented that women and minorities are significantly underrepresented in the field of intellectual property law. IPC is committed to recruiting, developing, retaining, and promoting talented lawyers and paralegals with diverse backgrounds. We believe that diversity encompasses more than gender and race; it includes ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, education, veteran status, disability, socio-economic status, and family and marital status. IPC actively recruits candidates that will increase the diversity of our offices.
OUR CLIENTS
We work collaboratively with our clients to achieve a high level of corporate responsibility that is aligned with our goals. For clients engaged in charitable, philanthropic and educational businesses, we provide reduced or alternative fee arrangements as a means of using our expertise to help our community.
THE ENVIRONMENT
We regularly consider our business practices to identify opportunities to minimize our impact on the environment. As an example, since its founding, IPC has been an all-digital practice; we do not maintain paper files, reducing our use of not only paper, but ink and other items that are not environmentally friendly.
We believe that today’s law firm must not only provide high quality legal advice, but must also demonstrate its commitment to responsible business practices in its own operations.