Session on 14th March 2025
In a recent Platforum9 session, Florence Brocklesby, founder of Bellevue Law, shared insights into the growing movement of B Corp certification in the legal sector. As the founder of one of only about 20 UK law firms with this certification, Brocklesby offered a valuable perspective on what it means to balance profit and purpose in legal practice.
What is B Corp Certification?
“B Corps are not charities, they’re not non-profits, they’re not NGOs – they are for-profit businesses, but they are businesses that are committed to balancing profit and purpose,” explained Brocklesby. The B Corp movement began in 2006 in the United States with the belief that private and public businesses had the potential to be forces for good.
Today, there are approximately 9,500 B Corps globally, with around 2,300 in the UK. Brocklesby notes that “in a world where many people are concerned about greenwashing or purpose washing, B Corp certification is considered to be a gold standard of ESG accreditation.”
The Certification Process
Becoming a B Corp is intentionally rigorous, reflecting the seriousness of the commitment. Brocklesby outlined the key steps:
- Amending constitutional documents – Law firms must modify their Articles of Association or LLP agreements to formally commit to balancing profit and purpose. This step can be challenging as Brocklesby notes, “not all partners want to balance profit with purpose or indeed with anything else.”
- Completing the B Impact Assessment – This comprehensive questionnaire evaluates the firm across five impact areas: governance, people, community, clients, and environment. Firms need to score at least 80 points to qualify for certification, while the average business scores only around 50.
- Making operational changes – Based on assessment results, firms implement changes to improve their scores. For Bellevue Law, this included formalizing charitable donations (committing 2% of pre-tax profits), measuring and setting targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and investing in smart meters for energy monitoring.
The entire process typically takes 12-18 months from initiation to certification, with recertification required every three years.
Business Benefits
While purpose drove Brocklesby’s decision to pursue B Corp certification, she has discovered significant business advantages:
“I’ve been surprised at what a driver of recruitment it’s been for us to be B Corp certified,” she shared. “How many times in recruitment discussions candidates will say that that’s a significant reason why they’re interested in joining us.”
Additionally, clients are increasingly asking about a firm’s ESG credentials. While B Corp status may not yet be the primary reason clients select a law firm, it provides credibility when answering these increasingly common questions.
As Brocklesby explains, “My own experience certainly has been that the more purpose-driven we are, the better that is for business alongside being the right thing to do.”
The Challenge of Client Selection
One of the most complex aspects of B Corp certification for law firms involves client selection. B Corp designates certain industries as “controversial and ineligible,” including oil and gas, defense, gambling, and pornography. Firms with significant clients in these sectors may find certification more challenging.
This raises unique questions for legal professionals. As Brocklesby notes, “There is this principle that a lot of lawyers have that everyone’s entitled to legal advice,” creating tension with certification requirements.
Bellevue Law addresses this with a detailed client onboarding process that flags potential ethical risks. Brocklesby also mentioned ongoing discussions among B Corp law firms to standardize approaches to these difficult questions.
Impact Beyond Operations
Perhaps most interestingly, Brocklesby highlighted an emerging concept in purpose-driven professional services: the impact of advice itself.
“The biggest impact that we have as lawyers or as anybody in professional services is in the advice that we give,” she explained. This has led to discussions about “serviced emissions” – considering not just the environmental footprint of a firm’s operations but the emissions created or reduced through the advice provided to clients.
This represents a fundamental shift in how law firms might evaluate their societal impact, extending responsibility beyond internal operations to the consequences of their work.
The Future of Purpose-Driven Law
With B Corp certification entering its third decade and facing a standards update in 2023, the movement appears poised for continued growth despite political headwinds around ESG initiatives.
For law firms not ready for full certification, Brocklesby suggests using the B Impact Assessment as a valuable tool: “Even if you’re not planning to certify, if you want to analyze your firm’s ESG credentials, B Impact Assessment is a really helpful free tool.”
As the legal profession continues to evolve, firms increasingly recognize that purpose and profit need not conflict. “The beauty of it is that there’s just a huge amount more choice,” Brocklesby notes, referring to the expanding options for lawyers seeking firms aligned with their values.
Whether through formal certification or simply adopting B Corp principles, the movement represents an opportunity for law firms to consider their broader impact while potentially gaining competitive advantages in recruitment, client relationships, and purpose-driven leadership.
As Brocklesby concludes, “I don’t think it would be a sensible time and money business development point of view, but it’s definitely something that resonates with people” – suggesting that the true value of B Corp certification may lie less in immediate commercial returns and more in long-term alignment with evolving societal expectations of business.
