Page 9 - Transformation Report 2023

Group BEE Standards 7

Central to being a New Breed Law Firm™, is a commitment to the Group Value of Diversity. To
define this value, the Group BEE Standards were adopted in 2014 as part of the overall Group
Standards. These Group BEE Standards provide an internal compliance gauge for member firms
and address the vacuum that continues to exist with respect to a sector-specific legal BEE char-
ter. The Group BEE Standards have also gone through iterations, with the latest update in 2019
setting higher targets for member firms.

The Group BEE Standards required group members to:

• Achieve at least a level 4 BEE certificate.
•
• Annually submit a workplace skills plan.
•
• Have a current employment equity plan in place to transform its organisational environment.
•
• Designated employer firms must submit an employment equity report to the Department of
Labour.
•
• Have an annual target of 50% black candidate legal practitioner appointments of all appoint-
ments made in the year.
•
• Have an annual target of 50% legal practitioner appointments of all legal practitioners
appointed in the year.
•
• Have an annual target of 50% of black director appointments of all directors appointed in the
year.
•
• Firms must outsource 30% of all legal services to black law firms (at least 25.1% black-owned)
and/or black advocates or other legal service providers (at least 25.1% black-owned).
•
• Firms must have a functioning pro bono programme meeting the requirements for pro bono
work of the relevant Legal Practice Council.

These Group BEE Standards represent minimum requirements with member firms understand-
ing that their commitment extends beyond these standards alone. It is acknowledged that nothing
less than a holistic commitment to transformation will meet the Group BEE Standards and in time
evidence transformative change at member firms.

This necessitates the development and implementation of appropriate best practices concerning
recruitment, professional development, career planning and other areas of transformation.

GROUP