PRess releases
HFW Signs UK Armed Forces Covenant
Global, sector-focused law firm has signed the UK Armed Forces Covenant to highlight its ongoing commitment to treating all individuals with fairness and respect.
As a signatory, HFW commits in its business dealings to uphold the key principles of the covenant:
- No member of the Armed Forces community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen.
- In some circumstances, special treatment may be appropriate – especially for the injured or bereaved.
HFW also commits to:
- Promote itself as an armed forces-friendly organisation.
- Support the employment of veterans young and old, working with the Career Transition Partnership in order to establish a tailored employment pathway for service leavers.
- Support the employment of service spouses and partners.
- Offer a degree of flexibility in granting leave for service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner’s deployment.
- Support employees who choose to be members of the reserve forces, including by accommodating their training and deployment, where possible.
Sid Welham, COO, HFW:
"We're proud to join the growing ranks of law firms and other organisations to have signed the UK Armed Forces Covenant. We have several current and former Armed Forces personnel at HFW, and by signing the Covenant, we recognise the value that they bring to our business. It also demonstrates our support to the men and women who protect and serve the nation, having helped construct the Nightingale hospitals and staff testing stations during the Covid outbreak, and who will be building flood defences to protect communities across the UK this winter, as they do every year."
HFW has several former Armed Forces personnel across all levels of its business, including COO Sid Welham, Head of Admiralty and Crisis Management Andrew Chamberlain, Global Director of IT Mark Parr, Head of Cyber Security Karl Knowles, Head of Facilities Mike Forshaw, Cyber Security Analyst Vikki Littmoden, and Trainee Simon Maxwell. Associate Dominic Perreira and Project Manager Richard Burbridge are reservists.
HFW is also part of the Military In Law Network (MiLNet), which supports employers, veterans and reservists in the legal sector, and recently formalised a new reservist policy that provides an additional week's paid leave to enable them to meet their commitments to the reserve forces. HFW COO Sid Welham is part of the MLlNet committee.
To find out more about the Armed Forces Covenant, visit: https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/
About HFW
HFW is a leading global law firm in the aerospace, commodities, construction, energy and resources, insurance, and shipping sectors. The firm has more than 600 lawyers, including 185 partners, based in offices across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. HFW prides itself on its deep industry expertise and its entrepreneurial, creative and collaborative culture.
For further information, please contact:
Chris Johnson
Head of Communications
D +44 (0)20 7264 8159
M +44 (0)7976 939864
E chris.johnson@hfw.com
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